Over 50,000 students worldwide to get "front-row seat" at annual New York meeting of Clinton Global Initiative via the first live webcast to the Laureate International Universities network

BALTIMORE, Sept. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time since its inception in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative's annual New York meeting will be viewed remotely by more than 50,000 students and faculty from 39 institutions in the Laureate International Universities network on four continents via a multi-lingual webcast on September 24 and 25.  In addition to the opening address by President Bill Clinton, Laureate students will view live speeches of U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, as well as interviews with guest speakers.

Over 50,000 students in classrooms and auditoriums, as well as online, will have exclusive access to expert commentary and interviews alongside the live webcast of the meeting of leaders from the worlds of politics, business, philanthropy and civil society.

In addition, three students from Laureate institutions in Turkey, Brazil and Chile have been chosen to attend CGI in person to interview attendees and provide real-time updates for their fellow students across the Laureate network through social media as well as the webcast. The three honors student cum reporters – Derin Erpulat (Istanbul Bilgi University in Istanbul, Turkey), Nicolas Oyaneder (Universidad Andres Bello in Concepcion, Chile), Glauria Penalber (Centro Universitario do Norte in Manaus, Brazil) – were chosen for their commitment to social activism as well as language and communication skills.  

Operating across the Laureate Live platform, the live webcast and expert commentary will be available to universities across its network in English with translation in Spanish and Portuguese and closed captioning. The live feed will be enhanced by exclusive onsite interviews with global leaders of private enterprise as well as public policy bodies and non-governmental organizations.

"The Clinton Global Initiative is unquestionably one of the world's most dynamic forums because it convenes leaders who are committed to solving humanity's most intractable problems and challenges. We are proud to be part of this vital mission because our own mission, as the world's largest network of universities, is to be here for good by imbuing our students with social as well as professional purpose," said Douglas L. Becker, Chairman and CEO of Laureate Education, Inc.

Laureate International Universities has made several global commitments to the Clinton Global Initiative, including the creation of the Richard Riley Scholarship program that provided 1,000 teachers with access to graduate degree programs in 2008 and an expansion of Laureate's support of the International Youth Foundation's YouthActionNet® program in 2010.  

About Laureate International Universities

Laureate International Universities is a trusted global leader in providing access to high-quality, innovative institutions of higher education. The Laureate International Universities network includes more than 60 accredited campus-based and online universities. Our more than 740,000 students are part of an academic community that spans 29 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Laureate universities offer hundreds of undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs in fields including architecture, art, business, culinary arts, design, education, engineering, health sciences, hospitality management, information technology, law and medicine. President William J. Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, serves as the Honorary Chancellor of the Laureate International Universities network, a role in which he offers advice on social responsibility, youth leadership and increasing access to higher education. For more information, visit www.laureate.net.

SOURCE Laureate Education, Inc.