'Celebrate Radcliffe '98' to Feature Lectures, Panel Discussions

Celebrate Radcliffe '98, a daylong event featuring speakers, panel discussions, and a festive lunch in Radcliffe Yard for alumnae, students, faculty, and staff, will be held on Friday, Oct. 23. Nina Totenberg, one of the nation's leading political and legal journalists, will deliver the closing address; Pamela Thomas-Graham '85, an influential business leader and novelist, will give the annual alumnae lecture.

The autumn event was first held in 1925, when it was known as Formal Opening and later as Convocation. Normally held each year in September, this year's expanded event takes place one day prior to Radcliffe's annual Alumnae Council weekend, making it easier for alumnae from across the country to attend.

"Celebrate Radcliffe '98 is a special opportunity for all of us in the Radcliffe community to spend time together and explore our dreams and aspirations," said Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson.

Wilson will deliver a welcoming address at 10 a.m. in Radcliffe's Agassiz Theatre, immediately followed by the alumnae lecture by Thomas-Graham. The first black woman to become a partner at McKinsey & Co., the world's largest management consulting firm, Thomas-Graham is the author of A Deeper Shade of Crimson, a mystery novel that takes place at Harvard. After earning her A.B. and receiving Radcliffe's prestigious Fay Prize in 1985, Thomas-Graham earned degrees from the Business School and the Law School.

At 2:15 p.m., Totenberg will deliver the closing address in Longfellow Hall. In addition to her award-winning legal reporting for National Public Radio, she is a frequent correspondent on ABC's Nightline and Inside Washington, a nationally syndicated public affairs television program. In 1991, her groundbreaking report of Anita Hill's sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas led the U.S. Senate to reopen its confirmation hearings to consider Hill's charges.

From 11:15 a.m to 12:30 p.m., panels of Radcliffe faculty and scholars will lead discussions on "aspiration" -- the theme of the day -- as it relates to their work. Panelists will be drawn from the Radcliffe Institutes for Advanced Study and Radcliffe Educational Programs.