Before she closed her electrifying keynote presentation at Friday’s Women in the World Summit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a partnership between the State Department and the Seven Sisters colleges to launch a new Women and Public Service Initiative. The program will provide education, leadership, and information for governments, societies, and individuals concerned with improving the status of women.

The Seven Sisters—Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, Vassar College, and Wellesley College, Secretary Clinton’s alma mater—are historically female schools, with “a rich tradition of inspiring and educating women leaders across the world,” she said. Tapping into this tradition, the new initiative seeks to empower women interested in public policy and social change.

The partnership will kick off this fall with a conference of “policymakers and innovative thinkers around the world,” said Secretary Clinton, with the intent to build new global partnerships among women activists and organizers. “A lot of these women may not be known to many of us,” said Clinton. “They are the ones making changes on the ground right now. They are the ones who need our help, and we will stand with them.”
 
Clinton cited Women in the World as another example of how to provide support and resources for global leaders. “Starting here tonight, we want to tap the extraordinary talent and energy here to support and expand the nonprofit and grassroots efforts that give women voices and opportunity.”