Albright Institute Announced
Courtesy of Wellesley magazine, winter 2009 issue
by Lisa Scanlon ’99

She may have one of the most recognizable names of any woman in the world. Now the first female US secretary of state, Madeleine Korbel Albright ’59, is lending that name—and her expertise in international relations and global policy—to Wellesley as the College introduces the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs.

The Albright Institute is still in the fund-raising stages, but it is expected to be launched in January 2010. As it is envisioned now, each year, about 40 Wellesley students—known as “Albright Fellows”—will participate in the institute, which will aim to foster appreciation of the forces of globalization, the complexities of leadership, and the importance of citizenship. Their experience will begin with an intensive, noncredit three-week Wintersession course, taught in part by Wellesley faculty, researchers from the Wellesley Centers for Women, and experts in international relations and global policy, who will provide multiple perspectives on various global issues. In the final week of the course, the Madeleine Korbel Albright Distinguished Visiting Professor—who may be a diplomat, journalist or writer, business or nonprofit executive, artist, or public official—will teach and engage the students in dialogue about the global issues they have been studying. Albright herself has agreed to serve as the visiting professor in the inaugural year.

The summer following the Wintersession course, Albright Fellows will participate in College-funded internships in the US or abroad, which would allow them to apply what they learned during the course to these experiences out in the world.

The institute will also provide funding for events for the entire Wellesley community. The distinguished visiting professor may speak with students in classes during the regular semester, deliver a keynote address, or lead informal discussions with student organizations. Additionally, he or she will participate in a one- or two-day faculty seminar examining global issues related to his or her area of expertise. There are also plans to bring other guest speakers on international relations during the fall and spring semesters.

All of these opportunities are just the beginning, says Dean of the College Andrew Shennan. For example, he says, the College might build connections with colleges and universities in other countries through the Albright Institute, and perhaps one day the institute could even have its own building. “The College has high ambitions . . . for itself in relation to the world, and I hope this would be a foundation for other ventures,” says Shennan.
—LS

"The College has high ambitions . . . for itself in relation to the world, and I hope this would be a foundation for other ventures."
—Dean of the College Andrew Shennan