Stephen Colbert, Chelsea Clinton to Headline CGIU

Where do you find Stephen Colbert, actress Jada Pinkett Smith and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey in one place? Next month all three will be at Washington University for the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U).

Chelsea Clinton announced Sept. 25 during the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting that Wash U would serve as the host of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), April 5-7, on the Danforth Campus.

This week, CGI U announced the list of featured participants. They include:

• Zafar Adeel, director, UNU-INWEH;
• Will Allen, chief executive officer, Growing Power; 
• Chelsea Clinton, board member, William J. Clinton Foundation;  
• Michael Botticelli, deputy director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; 
• Edward Breslin, chief executive officer, Water for People;  
• Gemma Bulos, director, Global Women’s Water Initiative; 
• Stephen Colbert, host and executive producer of “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central;
• David Deluca, head of campaigns, DoSomething.org;  
• Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO, Square, Inc.; co-founder and executive chairman, Twitter, Inc.; 
• William Kamkwamba, inventor and writer, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope”; 
• Sarah Kendzior, writer, Al Jazeera English; 
• Matthew Perry, actor; 
• Jada Pinkett Smith, actress and advocate, Don’t Sell Bodies; 
• Andrew Revkin, reporter, Dot Earth Blog, The New York Times;
• Zainab Salbi, writer and producer, Nida’s Alnissa Productions; founder, Women for Women International;  
• Michael Sherraden, founding director, Center for Social Development, Washington University;    
• Gary White, co-founder and CEO, Water.org.

Click here to see a complete list of participants.

“The schools that have joined the CGI University Network are supporting student commitment-makers to create positive change across the globe,” said President Bill Clinton in a press release. “This year, CGI U will bring together more than 1,000 college students representing all 50 states and six continents to explore concrete ways to build a better tomorrow. I look forward to working with the young leaders who come to Washington University in St. Louis this April with their enthusiasm and their ideas.”

Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President Bill Clinton launched CGI U in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, youth organizations, topic experts and celebrities discuss solutions to pressing global issues.

“Washington University is proud to serve as the host of the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative University,” said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton in September.

The meeting at WUSTL will bring together nearly 1,200 attendees to make a difference in CGI U’s five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health. 

Approximately 200 WUSTL undergraduate and graduate students will be able to directly participate in CGI U and there will be additional volunteer opportunities during the meeting.

Visit www.cgiu.org for more information.