By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday announced that she will take up two fellowships at Harvard University later this year.
Ardern in January announced that she was resigning as Prime Minister after five years in office, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to go on.
She now plans to get into the academic profession at Harvard University where she will spend one semester.
She will serve as the Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, a program aimed at high-profile leaders transitioning from public service roles.
She will also be the Hauser Leader in the School’s Center for Public Leadership, a program where leaders from various sectors help students and faculty build leadership skills.
“I’m incredibly humbled to be invited to join Harvard University later this year as 2023 Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow and as a Hauser Leader in the Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership,” Ardern wrote on Instagram.
Harvard professor Jonathan Zittrain described Ardern’s appointment as a “rare and precious” chance for her and the university.
“Jacinda Ardern’s hard-won expertise – including her ability to bring diverse people and institutions together – will be invaluable as we all search for workable solutions to some of the deepest online problems,” Zittrain said.
The former Prime Minister did not offer specific dates for her Harvard visit but said she will be gone “for a semester – helpfully the one that falls during the NZ general election” on 14 October.
“I’ll be coming back at the end of the fellowships. After all, New Zealand is home,” Ardern added.
Last month, it was revealed she was also taking up two new roles – a volunteer position as special envoy for the Christchurch Call, a group combatting violent extremism online, and trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize – after leaving politics.
