Hillary Clinton will join Columbia University as a professor and presidential fellow in global affairs, the university announced Thursday.

Clinton will become a professor of practice at the School of International and Public Affairs and a presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects next month, Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger said in a statement.

"Given her extraordinary talents and capacities together with her singular life experiences, Hillary Clinton is unique, and, most importantly, exceptional in what she can bring to the University's missions of research and teaching, along with public service and engagement for the public good," Bollinger said.

In addition to teaching, Clinton will collaborate with senior faculty on global policy initiatives and ways to boost effective engagement with young people and women.

"Columbia's commitment to educating the next generation of policy leaders—and helping to address some of the world's most pressing challenges—resonates personally with me," Clinton said Thursday. "Thrilled to join this community."

Columbia World Projects leads a range of projects that allow Columbia to apply its research capabilities to New York City and the world. Projects span from combating climate change and mental health issues to socioeconomic disparities in public health and education.

"We are eager for her contributions to our efforts to advance rigorous scholarship and pursue sound policies and effective actions," Columbia World Projects director Wafaa El-Sadr said.

Clinton will begin to teach students in the classroom starting fall 2023 as part of her professorship at the School of International and Public Affairs, Bollinger said.

"She is a remarkable leader who has been on the frontlines of virtually every critical challenge facing our world today—from the global fight to save democracy, her advocacy for women's rights, and her staunch defense of marginalized people everywhere," School of International and Public Affairs Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo said in a statement.

Clinton received an honorary degree from Columbia in 2022 for her work in public service, sharing impromptu remarks with the Class of 2022. She also delivered a keynote address on criminal justice reform for a public policy forum at Columbia during her bid for presidency in 2015.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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