On campus, Hillary Clinton talks education, shutdown

Connor Ryan | USA TODAY College

From the importance of affordable education for all to the costs of the government shutdown, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about a broad range of issues Friday night during a speech at Hamilton College in rural Oneida County, N.Y.

"Talent is universally distributed, but opportunity is not," Clinton said to a crowd of about 5,800, nearly three times the college's undergraduate enrollment size — many of them young people.

"We need to remember that in our own country these days."

Clinton commended the college for its strong financial aid record and highlighted specific students' service work as well as emphasizing the importance of higher education.

"How do you best prepare to be better, smarter, work more collaboratively," Clinton asked. "Education — that is still the key. It has been and I believe will remain so."

Clinton earned great applause when she said: "The young people of this country deserve to have the same kind of opportunities that I had when I graduated from college and law school."

The bulk of Clinton's comments were directed toward three challenges she says America is facing today: gridlock, growth and global leadership.

Looking toward the young people in the audience, packed tightly in wooden bleachers, Clinton addressed the government shutdown.

"With all of the challenges we face and the sorry state of our own politics, we can use all the good role models we can find," she said.

Clinton emphasized the need to move away from "an evidence-free zone where ideology trumps data and common sense" and toward decisions based on fact-proven data. Then, Clinton broadened the scope and put the government shutdown in a global context.

"When we let partisanship override citizenship, when we fail to make progress on the challenges facing our country, our standing in the world suffers," Clinton said.

The future of America is one of great optimism, Clinton said. But it will not come right away.

"We're really going to have to work hard," she said. "We're really going to have to make this country work for all of us again. We will have to dare greatly and lead boldly, but, hey, that's what we do best — it's in our DNA."

Hamilton College's president, Joan Stewart, asked Clinton a number of pre-selected questions that ranged from her unsuccessful attempt to secure a presidential nomination in 2008 to the qualities she sees as important for future presidents.

Bryan Ferguson, 18, a freshman at Hamilton and an intern at the Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters, said he was pleased Clinton spoke about the importance of refugees.

"For someone of her importance and influence in the US government to be talking about it and to representing that population, it gave me more confidence in my work," he said. "That hit home most for me."

Zach Blumenthal, 19, also a freshman at Hamilton, was smiling as he left the event.

"I thought it was amazing — the way she's so personable and so open," he said. "She's a really great speaker — it's undeniable."

Wenlu Weng, 19, a sophomore and women's studies major at Hamilton, was also enthusiastic..

"I'm a huge supporter of hers," she said. "I'm pretty sure she's going to run. I know she wants to. I know she's going to."

Clinton's speech and discussion were part of Hamilton's "Sacerdote Great Names Series," which in previous years has featured Madeleine Albright, Al Gore and her husband, Bill Clinton.

Schools officials declined to provide specific information about how much Clinton was paid to appear, other than to say the series is funded by a restricted endowment.

Connor Ryan is a junior at Fordham University