"We live in an era in which old assumptions must be re-examined, institutions modernized and relationships transformed."
Madeleine K. Albright '59

Wellesley’s Albright Institute Launches a World of Leadership Opportunities

During her 2007 commencement address at Wellesley College, alumna and former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, class of 1959, said, “Wellesley College is not just a top college; it is the best college—an influence for good not only in America but around the world.”

On the 50th anniversary of her graduation from Wellesley, Albright has partnered with the college to extend that mission, through the establishment of the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs, an initiative that will educate students for leadership in an increasingly complex and interdependent world.

Albright will speak to members of her class and other fellow alumnae about world affairs, as well as the soon-to-be-launched institute, during the college’s reunion weekend, Saturday, June 13, at 2 pm in the Dorothy Towne Field House at the Keohane Sports Center. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A session.

The Albright Institute, which is expected to launch in January 2010, will work to cultivate students’ understanding of global issues through a Wintersession course and summer internship. The approximately 50 students selected as Albright Fellows each year will begin by attending an intensive, three-week Wintersession program that will address the skills and techniques needed to understand international problems and explore global policy issues. The course will be taught by Wellesley faculty from various departments as well as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, who will be selected annually from a wide range of professions, including diplomats, journalists, artists and public officials. For the institute’s inaugural year, Albright will serve in this role.

During the following summer, the Albright Fellows will participate in internships funded by the college that have a global focus or specifically address one of the United Nations Millennium Development goals.

There may be no woman better equipped than Albright to promote the role of women leaders in global development and international relations. She has had a diverse professional career, which eventually led her to become the first female Secretary of State and the highest ranking woman in the United States government. She is currently the Mortara Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service and serves as the director of the Council on Foreign Relations, among her many other associations.