Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs

The Albright Institute was established with the intention of addressing world affairs from an unconventionally interdisciplinary approach, setting it apart from traditional international studies programs which emphasize history, political science, and economics. The idea for the Albright Institute originated during discussions between Albright and Wellesley College over the donation of working papers and materials accrued during Albright's career. Joseph Joyce served as the first faculty director from 2009 to 2016. The current Program Director is Nina McKee and the Faculty Director is Stacie E. Goddard, Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College. Albright drew upon her own experience as a political science major at Wellesley in the late 1950s while establishing the direction and philosophy of the Albright Institute. She cited her experience as a diplomat and serving as US Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001 for leading her to recognize the multidimensional complexity of current events and global conflicts. Diplomat Rick Barton of the Center for Strategic and International Studies voiced approval of the institute's approach to global affairs studies, stating that the institute "recognize[s] that this is a very complex challenge and you have to approach it in an integrated fashion. That's still not the norm. If Wellesley does it successfully, they will be ahead of others." When Wellesley College underwent its decadal re-accreditation by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in 2019, the NECHE cited the creation of the Albright Institute as an accomplishment for the college. == Fellowship program ==

attending an Albright Institute event, wearing the logo pin of Wellesley College. The Albright Institute organizes an annual fellowship program for undergraduates studying at Wellesley College. Around forty juniors and seniors are selected each year as "Albright Fellows" who participate in a three-week education and leadership program during the "Wintersession" scholastic term in January. Numerous prominent women in American politics and diplomacy have participated in the Albright Fellows Wintersession program as Distinguished Visiting Professors or invited lecturers. Madeleine Albright has participated to some degree in every session since the program's inception, including as its inaugural Distinguished Visiting Professor. Elizabeth Cousins, as well as former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, Wellesley College was founded as a historically women's liberal arts college and its admissions policy as of 2015 accepts applications from transgender women and non-binary people assigned female at birth. The Albright Institute, drawing applicants for its Albright Fellows program from the general Wellesley student body, therefore accepts cisgender and transgender women, as well as trans and non-binary students. Additionally, the Institute has awarded numerous Albright Fellowships to students in the Davis Degree Program, which confers Bachelor of Arts degrees to female-identified non-traditional students. The Albright Fellowship is unusual among American collegiate fellowship programs in global affairs for its focus on the career development of predominantly female-identified students and nontraditional students. The Institute runs an online blog entitled The Spoke which publishes articles on domestic and global issues. Madeleine Albright has used Albright Institute events as opportunities to connect with current Wellesley students and express personal reflections on her education and career. In 2012 Albright visited a student-run cooperative cafe on campus where she had worked and served as manager during her junior and senior years at Wellesley from 1957 to 1959. During a visit to Wellesley College to promote her jewelry exhibition and book, Albright explained, "Wellesley was one of the first places that gave me the opportunity to engage with global politics, develop my political views and explore creative ways to express those views so it’s only fitting to bring pins and politics back to Wellesley." In keeping with Albright's penchant for symbolic pin-wearing, the Albright Institute created numerous commemorative pins which are given to Albright Fellows and affiliates of the institute. A silversmith from the nearby town of Natick, Massachusetts, designed a pin for the Albright Institute in 2010 in celebration of the first class of Albright Fellows and another in 2016 at the first fellows' reunion. Every pin was made by hand and the 2016 design featured a globe inlaid with gold bars and diamonds to represent the Albright Fellows "emanating from the globe." == Public events ==

director Christine Lagarde on gender inequality, and specifically her quote that "inequality is sexist," garnered coverage by CNN, CNBC, the Associated Press and elsewhere. Lagarde highlighted the gender pay gap and lack of economic opportunities for women as adversely affecting global economic growth, stressing the need for policy change. In 2016, former finance minister of Greece George Papaconstantinou discussed his book, Game Over: The Inside Story of the Greek Crisis, and his perspective on the Greek financial crisis. During an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Albright Institute and its Albright Fellows program, US Ambassador Susan Rice commented on US-Iranian relations and the Persian Gulf crisis in addition to discussing a recently published memoir and reflecting on her career and time working in the Obama administration. == Notable people ==

Notable figures who have participated in Albright Institute events include the following: • Madeleine Albright – first female United States Secretary of State, politician and diplomat • Hillary Rodham Clinton – former First Lady of the United States and United States Secretary of State, first woman to win popular vote in an American presidential election • Paula Johnson – Cardiologist and current president of Wellesley College • Susan Rice - former National Security Advisor (2013-2017), U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2009-2013) • Wendy R. Sherman – former United States Under Secretary for Political Affairs == References ==