PHILADELPHIA For 125 years Penn has served as a launching pad for women. It has provided the career foundation for such outstanding alumnae as Andrea Mitchell, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent and Penn trustee; Ann Dore McLaughlin, former U.S. Secretary of Labor (1987-89); Susan Ness, former Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; and Mary Ellen Mark, photo journalist.

Penn alumnae throughout the world will be joining together Nov. 1-2 to celebrate a historic milestone in women's progress: the 125th anniversary of the admission of female students to the University of Pennsylvania.

The Celebration will recognize the tremendous accomplishments of Penn alumnae. Among the festivities will be a ceremony honoring women who "paved the way" at the University; a dinner with the trustees featuring a keynote address by Andrea Mitchell; panel discussions with accomplished Penn women; the unveiling of a book honoring Penn women; and a poster honoring Penn women authors. The last official event on Nov. 2 will be a networking party where all the participants, speakers and guests can interact with alumnae and student leaders as well as each other.

To ensure that the Celebration's imprint will remain long after the participants depart, the Class of '49 Bridge is being redesigned to include a Women's Walkway that will feature pavers honoring Penn women. On the bridge itself (the Generational Bridge), new pavers will be installed on which donors have inscribed their family's Penn history to honor those who came before while paving the way for future generations of Penn students.

The first 900 participants to register for the Celebration are invited to attend a private performance of the critically acclaimed play, The Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler, an award-winning playwright, poet, activist and screenwriter. Ensler will perform My Short Skirt, an original monologue, after the production.

"We felt that it was so important to celebrate 125 years of achievement for women at Penn because women have worked very hard to get where they are today," said Judith Roth Berkowitz, a Penn graduate, trustee and chair of the Celebration of 125 Years of Women at Penn. "It wasn't easy being a female student in the early days when men refused to speak to them. Women at Penn have certainly come a long way and we are proud to celebrate their accomplishments."

Penn President Judith Rodin is a visible example of the impact Penn's women graduates have had on our society. Rodin, who has been University president since 1994, is the first alumna to serve as president of Penn and the first woman to serve as president of an Ivy League institution. This historic first was a model for other Ivy League institutions as evidenced by the recent appointments of women presidents at Princeton and Brown universities.

On Nov. 2, during a gala luncheon, Rodin will be presented with The Beacon Award by Christine Hikawa, chair of the Trustees' Council of Penn Women. This award isgiven to an outstanding woman, man, or institution that has displayed exemplary leadership in furthering the advancement of women through dedicated pursuit of and commitment to issues affecting women.

Previous recipients of The Beacon Award include U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton; Virginia Knauer, special assistant to the president for consumer affairs, 1969-1977 and 1981-88, and the first Republican woman to be elected to Philadelphia City Council; Claire Fagin, professor emerita and dean emerita of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and interim president at Penn 1993-94; and Al Shoemaker, who chaired the University Board of Trustees from 1986-1994 and was the inspiration for the founding of the TCPW.

"This significant occasion in the history of the University of Pennsylvania gives us the opportunity to salute women in the past who have done so much to provide the basis for our being here today," Rodin said. "We, in turn, hope to provide even greater opportunities for those women who come after us."

Indeed, Penn alumnae have set numerous milestones since the first women, Gertrude Klein Peirce and Anna Lockhart Flanigen, were admitted to a degree-granting program at the University's Towne Scientific School in 1876. These women opened the door allowing generations of Penn alumnae that followed to create significant contributions to all segments of society.

Included in the Celebration is a breakfast honoring "those who paved the way," which will focus on the women pioneers at Penn who overcame tremendous obstacles to pave the way not only for their own incredible successes but for the opportunities and privileges of the women that followed them.

This will be followed by a series of panel discussions based on the theme "Educating Women for Leadership: Penn Women of the 21st Century," led by notable alumnae. The topics include "Women and Health Care--Our Bodies, Ourselves: What You Know May Make the Difference;" "Women's Leadership in Philanthropy--Cents and Sensibility: Women Making a Difference;" "Women and Business-The Waves: Making Them or Getting Swamped-Are Women Making a Difference?;" and "Women, Politics and the Media-The Second Sex: What a Difference the Difference Makes."

The anniversary celebration will carry over into homecoming weekend on Nov. 3 with a two-mile walk/run, which pays special tribute to Penn women.

More information on the event, including a complete schedule, is available on-line at www.alumni.upenn.edu/celebratewomen.