Hillary Clinton to receive Harvard's Radcliffe Medal

March 8 (UPI) -- The Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University announced Thursday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will receive the institute's Radcliffe Medal.

Clinton will receive the award May 25 during Harvard's commencement week, the Radcliffe Institute said in a statement. The institute awards medals to people who have had a "transformative impact" on society.

"Hillary Clinton's life and career are an inspiration to people around the world," Dean Lizabeth Cohen, a Harvard history professor, said. "We commend Secretary Clinton for her accomplishments in the public sphere as a champion for human rights and the welfare of all, as a skilled legislator, and as an advocate of American leadership."

Previous Radcliffe medalists include U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

The 2018 program will feature a tribute to Clinton delivered by Albright and a keynote conversation between the former first lady and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

"Whether in Arkansas, Washington, DC, New York State, or traveling around the globe as secretary of state, Secretary Clinton has provided a model of what it takes to transform society, often under scrutiny-tireless effort, toughness amid the political fray, and an enduring capacity to envision a better future," Cohen said