Honorary Degree Recipient
Doctor of Laws
College of Liberal Arts, June 14, 1998
Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated by President Clinton on December 5, 1996, as Secretary of State. After being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she was sworn in as the 64th Secretary of State on January 23, 1997. Secretary Albright is the first female secretary of state and the highest-ranking woman in the U.S. government. Secretary Albright has had an impressive career in the international arena beginning as an undergraduate at Wellesley College. Upon her graduation she studied at the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University, received a certificate from the Russian Institute at Columbia University, and earned her Masters and Doctorate from Columbia University's Department of Public Law and Government. From 1978-81 Secretary Albright was a staff member on the National Security Council as well as a White House staff member where she was responsible for foreign policy legislation. From 1981-82 she was awarded a fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian. She has served as the President of the Center for National Policy, a non-profit organization created by representatives from government, industry, labor and education. Secretary Albright has demonstrated clarity of vision, the highest standards for fairness, and has been an unparalleled model for young people (especially young women).
Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.