Radcliffe Welcomes Class of '96

Radcliffe College officials revived an ancient tradition Friday night, welcoming first-year women with its first convocation ceremonies since 1969.

Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson, Radcliffe Dean Philippa Bovet and other officials--all in full academic regalia--greeted the Radcliffe Class of 1996 with brief remarks about the institution.

Ellen H. Hume '68, senior fellow and adjunct lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government, delivered the keynote address.

Hume, a former journalist for several national newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, recalled her years at Radcliffe when "it was a female ghetto in the midst of the most privileged white male institution in America."

She described the obstacles that working women faced in the '60s and '70s, and discussed her long career and some of the stories she has covered.

Hume told first-years to hang on during the difficult times, emphasizing that each of them could "make a difference."

The Radcliffe College Formal Opening, established in 1925, was once the only event to bring all undergraduate women together. The name was later changed to the Radcliffe College Convocation.

This story was complied from wire and staff reports.