Former First Lady of the United States, Secretary of State, United States Senator from New York, and 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton, will speak at UVa in November as the headliner of the University’s Women’s Global Leadership Forum. According to UVA Today, the two-day symposium will feature additional American political leaders and important figures from around the world. The historic event will take place as part of the University’s bicentennial celebration.
Scheduled for November 13th and 14th, the Women’s Global Leadership Forum will include discussions on resolving the unique challenges of the 21st century, solutions for the health and education obstacles that plague women and girls, and the growing political power of women in today’s democracy. Clinton will deliver the symposium’s closing remarks in Old Cabell Hall Auditorium at 2:30pm on November 14th.
Clinton was the first female nominee for president of a major American political party and recently published a memoir, titled What Happened, about her experience as a key player in one of the most unpredictable presidential elections in American history. Since the conclusion of her campaign, she has poured her efforts into her Onward Together initiative, aimed at advancing progressive values.
Tickets for her talk, titled “Women and 21st Century Democracy: The Path Forward,” will be distributed through a lottery system for UVa faculty, students, and staff. The lottery will open October 26th, and registration for other forum events will begin October 18th.
In addition to Clinton, a long list of distinguished speakers will be featured at the Women’s Global Leadership Forum. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe will introduce Clinton. United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a UVa alumna, will speak, as well CNN political analyst David Gergen, first female president of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga, founder of the Global Fund for Children Maya Ajmera, and CEO of the Case Foundation and chair of the board of trustees for National Geographic Jean Case.
Dr. Vivian Pinn, alongside former minister of health for the country of Rwanda, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, will lead an event titled “Health and Education Challenges for Women and Girls.” Dr. Penn is a 1967 graduate of UVA’s School of Medicine, and the first director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health; the UVa School of Medicine recently named a building in her honor.
In an interview with UVA Today, Student Council President Sarah Kenny, who will participate in the forum, explained the importance of discussing and promoting women’s global leadership.
“UVa was founded to train the next leaders of this great experiment in democracy,” Kenny said. “It is critical to elevate the voices and status of women as we continue this commitment into the next century.”
For more information on the Women’s Global Leadership Forum, click here.
Who/what is funding this?