MADISON, Wis. -- A public launch of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's human rights initiative kicked off on Friday.

The initiative began last year on campus but the public launch promotes human rights in teaching and in research in the community as well.

The goal is to bring faculty, students and residents from numerous backgrounds together for this common cause, WISC-TV reported.

The kickoff featured the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson.

"We are a global university and as you know globalization is very exciting," said Gilles Bousquet, the UW dean of international studies. "We are more connected with the world but there are also many challenges -- challenges in health, education, and environment -- we want to make sure as globalization unfolds, the human condition is at the center of it."

Bousquet hopes to develop an academic certificate in human rights in the future.