During the 71st United Nations General Assembly, Watson shared the first-ever HeForShe university parity report, which listed 10 universities that have pledged to improve gender equality on campus, including Georgetown University in Washington and Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. The report compiled data on women’s representation on campus and outlined three key areas the participating universities need to address, including "the ratio of men to women represented in university faculty and senior administrative positions the fields of study selected by young women versus young men; and the number of female students at universities compared to their equal access to academic and professional career tracks."

Watson maintained that "a good university is like a tiny utopia. It’s a miniature model of how the whole of society could look."  

That model should also include freedom from "all forms of violence," Watson said. "That's why, we believe, that students should leave university believing in, striving for, and expecting societies of true equality in every sense and that universities have the power to be a vital catalyst for change."

"The university experience must make it clear that the safety of women, minorities and anyone who may be vulnerable, is a right and not a privilege," she added. "A right that will be respected by a community that supports and respects survivors, and recognizes that when one person's safety is violated, the safety of everyone should feel violated."