CGI U is coming to Tempe: 5 things you need to know


March 12, 2014

On March 21 more than 1,000 student leaders from across the globe will land at ASU's Tempe campus for three days dedicated to taking action in solving some of the most pressing concerns of the Millennial generation, as part of the seventh annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U).

The ASU community – students, faculty, staff, alumni and surrounding community – will play a role in this important event. Download Full Image

Here's what you need to know:

1. The Clintons are coming.

President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton will lead the three-day CGI U event at Arizona State University.

The Clintons will be joined by other leaders, experts, entrepreneurs and civically engaged celebrities, including Gabrielle Giffords, former U.S. Representative and founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions; Jimmy Kimmel, host and executive producer of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"; U.S. Senator John McCain; and Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia.

See full list of participants.

2. A public session is slated for opening night.

The opening plenary session, open to the public, is slated for Friday, March 21, at Gammage Auditorium.

Remarks for this session, titled "The Age of Participation," will be given by Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and ASU President Michael M. Crow.

President Bill Clinton will moderate, and panelists will include Shree Bose, a student from Harvard University; U.S. Senator John McCain; and Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia founder.

Learn more about what will be discussed.

3. Why ASU?

Arizona State University was selected to host the Clinton Global Initiative University because of its commitment to student-driven social change and entrepreneurship.

Approximately 200 ASU students are taking part in this year's meeting, and hundreds more will ensure the event runs smoothly by volunteering their time throughout the weekend.

For a complete schedule of events, click here.

4. Five areas of focus

Many ASU students, faculty and staff already are hard at work on a variety of initiatives that reflect the five focus areas of the Clinton Global Initiative, which are: education; environment and climate change; peace and human rights; poverty alleviation; and public health.

CGI U attendees must create Commitments to Action – new, specific and measurable plans to address global challenges – in one of these five areas.

5. Day of Action in Phoenix

A day of community service will take place Sunday, March 23, in downtown Phoenix – hosted in part by PHX Renews, a partnership between the City of Phoenix and Keep Phoenix Beautiful. Participants will work in conjunction with nearly one dozen community organizations on a wide array of volunteer activities, ranging from urban agriculture to mural painting.

You can also follow the action March 21-23 on Twitter, using hashtag #cgiu, and also see updates on ASU News.

Need more information? Go to cgiu.asu.edu.

Britt Lewis

Communications Specialist, ASU Library

Clintons, Jimmy Kimmel to attend CGI University at ASU


March 12, 2014

President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton will be among the featured participants convening the seventh annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting to be hosted at ASU's Tempe campus March 21-23.

Featured participants include: portrait of Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Download Full Image

Derrick Ashong, host and special correspondent, Fusion

Tina Barseghian, editor, MindShift

Ken Berger, president and CEO, Charity Navigator

• Sujata Bhatt, founder, The Incubator School

• Kevin Bleyer, Emmy award-winning writer/producer for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “Dennis Miller,” and “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher”

• Asi Burak, president, Games for Change

• Lily Cole, founder, impossible

• Michael M. Crow, president, Arizona State University

• Manjula Dissanayake, founding president, Educate Lanka Foundation, Inc.

• Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka

• Jay Feely, professional football player, Arizona Cardinals

• Gabrielle Giffords, former U.S. Representative and founder, Americans for Responsible Solutions

• Wahleah Johns, co-founder, Black Mesa Water Coalition

• Mark Kelly, former astronaut and founder, Americans for Responsible Solutions

• Jimmy Kimmel, host and executive producer, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

• Adnan Mahmud, CEO, Live Stories

• Ludwick Marishane, DryBath Inventor, Headboy Industries Inc.

• Dulce Matuz, president, Arizona DREAM Act Coalition

• John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona

• Cindy Hensley McCain, founding member, Eastern Congo Initiative

• Alicia Menendez, host, Fusion

• Maria Menounos, host, “Extra!”, Founder, Take Action Hollywood!

• Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works

• Jamar Rogers, musician, Dream On Productions and HIV/AIDS Activist

• Reeta Roy, president and CEO, The MasterCard Foundation

• María Elena Salinas, anchor, Univision News

• Amirah Sequeira, national coordinator, Student Global AIDS Campaign

• Greg Stanton, mayor, City of Phoenix

• Nancy Sutley, former chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality

• Michael Tubbs, council member, City of Stockton

• Jimmy Wales, founder, Wikipedia

• Patrick Walsh, co-founder and chief impact officer, CLASSY Awards

• Lauryn Williams, Olympic gold medalist in sprinting and silver medalist in Bobsledding

• Phill Wilson, president and CEO, Black AIDS Institute

Britt Lewis

Communications Specialist, ASU Library