Hillary Clinton is now 'presidential fellow' at Columbia University
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will serve ‘as professor of practice at the School of International and Public Affairs’ and as a ‘presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects.’
Clinton will ‘engage with students in the classroom starting in the 2023-2024 academic year,’ with her appointment to begin in February 2023.
Columbia University recently announced that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join its faculty.
Clinton will serve “as professor of practice at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA),” and as a “presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects (CWP),” according to the university’s announcement.
“I have had the great pleasure of knowing Hillary personally for three decades, since her early days as First Lady of the United States,” Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger said in a statement.
“Her public service has expanded since then, most notably in her remarkably successful tenure as United States Senator for the State of New York, in her impressive role as Secretary of State, and in her two historic and record-breaking presidential campaigns.”
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In her two roles at the university, Clinton will focus on global policy and convene policy experts. Columbia’s announcement says that she will “engage with students in the classroom starting in the 2023-2024 academic year,” with her appointment to begin in February 2023.
A statement from SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo described her upcoming work with Clinton.
“With the world in flux, SIPA is intensifying our efforts to engage the leading local, national, and global academics and practitioners in developing timely, cutting-edge, and practical policy proposals,” Yarhi-Milo said.
Yarhi-Milo referenced a new initiative for Columbia’s “Fourth Purpose,” which Bollinger defined as “‘advancing human welfare by merging our distinctive intellectual capacities with groups and organizations beyond the academy.’”
“Fourth Purpose” is an initiative of CWP, the host program for Clinton’s presidential fellowship. CWP’s website reflects some of the same policy initiatives as the Clinton Foundation, the non-profit operated by the Clinton family.
The Clinton Foundation engages in philanthropic efforts and hosts events, including a summit with Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, on “the Maternal Health Crisis and Reproductive Rights.”
Among the foundation’s other programs are “fighting the climate crisis” and “educational and cultural programs” on “health equity and vaccinations” and “diversity and inclusion,” according to an impact report on its 2021 activities.
CWP lists “Climate,” “COVID-19,” and “Maternal Health” as some of the “Social Impact Areas” benefiting from its projects and research.
Clinton received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Columbia during the spring 2022 commencement ceremony, where she delivered impromptu remarks.
After losing the 2016 election to former President Donald Trump, Clinton co-founded Onward Together with Howard Dean, the former Governor of Vermont and Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair.
Onward Together has funded the campaigns of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the junior senator from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, and other left-leaning candidates.
Organizations such as Demand Justice, which motivat[es] progressive voters on issues related to the federal judiciary” and “influenc[es] the Senate on judicial nominees,” also receive funding. Onward Together gives direct grants to Planned Parenthood, according to its website.
Campus Reform has reported on Clinton’s other advocacy work, including sharing a video in support of Proposition 1, which amended the California Constitution to guarantee a right to abortion.
The video tweeted by Clinton begins with a college student reacting to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
“No matter where a person lives or how much money they have, women—not politicians—should be able to make decisions about their own lives,” Clinton wrote. “That includes abortion care and miscarriage management.”
Campus Reform reported that the student in the video is actually pro-life and represented Students for Life of America as she stood outside the Supreme Court.
Campus Reform contacted Columbia University and the Clinton Foundation for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
