In 1959, Madeleine K. Albright was told by her graduation speaker at Wellesley that her role in life was to raise the next generation of educated citizens.

How times have changed.

Today, as the first female secretary of state and highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government, Albright will deliver the keynote address at Harvard's 346th Commencement.

She has some big shoes to fill.

Her speech comes exactly 50 years after then secretary of state George C. Marshall used Harvard's 1947 Commencement to announce the U.S.'s post-war recovery plan for Europe.

Expectations are high, and the national spotlight will be on, but all signs indicate that Albright has been looking forward to the chance to commemorate Marshall's historic announcement.

"She's very honored to give the Commencement address at Harvard on the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan," says State Department Spokesperson Nicholas Burns. "She's a child of that era and has a deep sense of history."

University officials also noted Albright's enthusiasm about giving today's speech.

"The idea of speaking on the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan was very exciting to her," says Provost Albert Carnesale. "You could feel the twinkle in her eyes over the telephone."

A Stellar Record

While her speech may not turn out to be as historic as Marshall's, some high level officials say Albright, who was confirmed unanimously for her job by the Senate, is already on track to becoming a first-rate secretary of state.

"She has a strong sense of mission, and she's strong in her convictions," says Samuel R. Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser. "She certainly has the potential to be one of the really great secretaries of all time."

For most of America, Albright, 60, is the new face of foreign policy for the Clinton administration. Since moving up from her former post as Ambassador to the U.N. in January, she has drawn a sharp contrast to the dry, lawyerly style of her predecessor, Warren Christopher.

Unlike Christopher, the mediasavvy Albright excels at taking center stage. One of her first moves as secretary was taking a widely-publicized world tour. She stopped in nine countries in 10 days, including Russia and China.

She backs up her high profile with two unique traits: the ability to succinctly summarize even the most complex foreign policy issues and the political know-how to gauge questions of foreign affairs through the lens of domestic politics.