Miami Dade College / Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U)

Instructions and Application

MDC Internal Deadline (to your campus’ iCED office):Tuesday, April 3, 2018

CGI U Final Submission Deadline:Monday, April 23, 2018

CGI U Dates: Friday, October 19 - Sunday, October 21, 2018 at the University of Chicago

President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will host the ninth annual CGI U meeting from Friday, October 19 - Sunday, October 21, 2018 at the University of Chicago. The meeting will bring together more than 1,000 innovative student leaders to makeCommitment to Actionthat address some of the world's most pressing challenges. Commitments to Action are new, specific, and measurable initiatives that address pressing challenges on campus, in local communities, or around the world.

To be considered for admission, applicants are required to make aCommitment to Actionin one of CGI U's five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health. Applications from groups (up to three members of a group can be part of the application) and individuals are accepted. If accepted, attendance is free.* The internal MDC application deadline is Tuesday, April 3, 2018,and the final application deadline to CGI U isMonday, April 23, 2018.

Miami Dade College is proud to be a member of the Clinton Global Initiative University Network, meaning that we provide support and mentorship to students who wish to apply to CGI U. Students selected to attend CGI U will continue to receive on-going support and can apply for funding from MDC for their commitment (limited funding available).

In order to be eligible to apply for funding and to have a better chance of acceptance, all MDC applicants must follow the steps and deadlines outlined below. This includes preparing a draft application using the form below and submitting it to their iCED representative by April 3rdfor review. iCED will provide feedback and help you refine your application before you submit it to CGI U so you will have a greater chance of success. Do not apply directly with CGI U without first having your commitment reviewed and approved by the iCED office.

*To attend CGI U, you must be selected and approved by CGI U and MDC (including having at least a 2.0 GPA, be enrolled in at least 6 credits, and be in good academic standing).

To apply, follow these steps:

1.Visit to learn more about CGI U, to developyour commitment, and to review the process to apply.

2.Become inspired by watching this 3-minute video:

3.Explore the CGI U website (). Be sure to carefully review the information on the “Apply” page and the “Commitments” page.

4.After you’ve learned more about CGI U, be sure to get in touch with your campus iCED office so they can review the application process, connect you to resources, review your Commitment to Action idea, and help you refine your application.

5.Find an advisor! This person could be a professor, a local nonprofit leader, an advocate, or an expert in a field related to your commitment. This person can help you figure out exactly what you need to do to make the biggest impact possible. They can help you develop your Commitment to Action and help you put your plan into action after the CGI U event. If you are having trouble finding an advisor, iCED may be able to find a local nonprofit that works in your area of interest.

6.Think about your budgeting needs. The lower the cost of your commitment, the more likely it is that it will be achievable. Ideally, you should be able to do your commitment with no funding, or just a small amount of funding. If your commitment is going to require funds, make sure you have a fundraising plan in mind (remember that you can use websites such as IOBY – or kickstarter Finally MDC will be allocating funding of up to $10,000 to MDC student commitments via a competitive process after CGI U in late October. Typically the range of seed funding will be $200 to $1,000, depending on the number of applicants and the needs of the projects. CGI U itself also awards some funding. However, these are very competitive as you will be applying for seed funding in competition with all the applicants, not just the students from MDC. Do not count on seed funding from MDC as you develop your project – make sure you have a plan B.

How to submit your application:

  • Talk to your iCED representative on your campus(
  • Write up your commitment and review it in depth with your advisor.
  • Email your commitment to your iCED representative by Tuesday, April 3, 2018.
  • iCED will review and provide feedback on your application.
  • Review and finalize your commitment and submit it via the CGI U website Monday, April 23, 2018 by cutting and pasting your approved application into the CGI U web-based form. CGI U will make selections during the summer of 2018.
  • If selected and approved by CGI U and MDC, be ready to open your mind, meet other inspiring college students, learn more about social entrepreneurship, and maybe even shake hands with President Clinton!

Tentative CGI U 2018 Schedule:

Friday, October 19:3 pm – 9 pm

Saturday, October 20: 7:30 am – 8:30 pm

Sunday, October 21: 7:45 am – 1 pm

NEED MORE HELP PERFECTING YOUR IDEA? The Idea Center serves as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship at MDC. The Idea Center produces and hosts a wide variety of programs to help students build their ideas (browse all programs at

MDC / CGI U Application

(Submit this application electronically to your iCED office by Tuesday, April 3, 2018– the questions on this application are the same ones you will have to submit to CGI U by April 23rd.)

SECTION 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION

Your Name (as it appears on legal identification):

Applying as: GROUP or INDIVIDUAL (highlight one)

If “GROUP,”who are your group members (there is a limit three members per group who can be part of the application) – write their names, primary email, and phone number below:

Team Member Information (if applying as a group):

Your Cell Phone #:

Your Personal Email:

Your MDC Email:

Your MDC Campus:

Your Major:

YourExpected Date of Graduation from MDC:

Online Presence (optional): (on the actual CGI U application they ask for links to online profiles you have such as twitter, LinkedIn, etc)

In the third person, write a short biography about yourself and include any relevant campus activities, leadership roles, or organizational affiliations (150 word limit):

Have you attended or been invited to attend any previous CGI U meetings, and if so, please update us on any progress you’ve made?

SECTION 2: COMMITMENT TO ACTION INFORMATION

What is the name of your commitment? (This is the title of your project. Be creative and concise.):

Commitment focus area (Select One: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, or public health):

City, State, and Country where your commitment will take place (be specific):

What is the timeline for your commitment? When do you plan to begin implementation, and when do you foresee completion? (Commitments should have clearly defined goals and a timeline for action, usually no longer than two years.):

Select the appropriate phase of your commitment:

  • Ideation
  • Implementation
  • Scale
  1. COMMITMENT SUMMARY: Write a 2-3 sentence description of your Commitment to Action in the third person using the template below. You will be able to further elaborate on these points in the remainder of the application(120 word limit):

Template Example: In 2018, Joe Smith, John Smith, and Jane Smith committed to create a community-based recycling framework to convert plastic waste into new products in Indonesia. The team will make a small modular unit that contains a shredder, rotational mold, and an extruder to expedite the recycling process. They will partner with local NGOs and waste management services to convert the repurposed plastic into malaria bed-nets and 3D filament. The group expects to decrease plastic waste by 50% and increase plastics converted to valued outputs by 70% in 24 months.

●In one to two sentences, specifically describe actions you and/or your group will take to implement change in a specific location.

●In one sentence, describe how the actions you and/or your group take will impact a specific global or local challenge.

●Include strategic external partners you and/or your group will work with.

●Explain the outcomes you and/or your group expect to see as a result of your commitment.

  1. THE CHALLENGE: CGI U students work to address specific global challenges. In this section, we want to know what issue you are trying to solve through your commitment and why you are passionate about it. [If you reference statistics or facts, cite your sources here or in the “Additional Comments” section below.] (150 word limit)

●What is the problem or issue you and/or your group are working to address?

●Why is this an important issue to you and/or your group?

●Who is your target population?

●What challenges do you and/or your group anticipate encountering?

  1. COMMITMENT DETAILS: In this section, we want to understand how your commitment is specific and attainable. (250 word limit)

●Define the goals of your Commitment to Action.

●Describe the activities you and/or your group will undertake to carry out your Commitment to Action.

●If appropriate, list any external partners.

●Include a timeline for proposed activities.

  1. HOW IS YOUR APPROACH TO SOLVING THIS PROBLEM UNIQUE?: In this section, we want to understand how your effort is new and different from other initiatives that attempt to tackle a similar problem. You are being asked here to acknowledge other projects worldwide that are doing similar work. (150 word limit)
  • How is your commitment new and/or different?
  • How do you and/or your group plan to collaborate with, develop partnerships with, or learn from those with comparable projects?
  • If you have applied to CGI U with this commitment in the past, how have you expanded your project -- either through geographic scope, focusing on a different approach, or working with new partners?
  1. IMPACT: In this section, we want to know how your commitment is measurable and will create impact. (150 word limit)

●What benchmarks will you put in place to measure progress towards your expected outcomes?

●Define your goals, both short-term and long-term.

●Identify specific data and results that you will analyze, interpret, and report out on as you make progress toward achieving your goals.

  1. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Insert any additional information you couldn’t fit in the answers above here (e.g., cite any sources from question 2, etc.)

Extra MDC Questions:

What resources will you use to help you complete your commitment? Who can you collaborate with, what organizations could you partner with?(iCED or your advisor may be able to help you find resources in the community), but the best projects require minimal funding, or a strong fundraising plan).

What is your proposed budget? How will you attain the necessary funds? Be specific (remember, the best projects require minimal funding, or a strong fundraising plan):

Turn this application in via email to your campus iCED office:

iCED Contact Information:

  • Hialeah Campus: Corrinne Lockamy,
  • Homestead Campus: Linda Levin,
  • InterAmerican Campus: Alison Kasney,
  • Kendall Campus: Cristy Calderon,
  • Medical Campus: Josh Young,
  • North Campus & EEC: Rebecca Pelham,
  • West Campus: Raisa Sequeira,
  • Wolfson Campus: Tamica Ramos,

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