Widener University is the first institution in the Philadelphia region to join a growing consortium of colleges and universities nationwide participating in the Clinton Global Initiative University Network.

CGIU is Clinton's initiative to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses worldwide. Since its inaugural meeting in 2008, CGI U has brought together more than 4,500 students from more than 130 countries to make commitments to action. The program is a project of the larger Clinton Global Initiative, founded in 2005 with the mission to “turn ideas into action.”

Selected students will attend the CGI U meeting April 5-7 at Washington University in St. Louis. Widener is providing a minimum to $10,000 from an endowed fund to be divided among the students selected to pursue their projects.

Widener President James T. Harris III said the program aligns perfectly with Widener’s commitment to leadership development and civic engagement. "The Clinton Global Initiative goes to the very heart of our mission at Widener,” Harris said. “We are very excited to be selected as a member of the University Network."