“150 Years of Penn Women: Progress and the Path Forward”

Today, women make up more than half of the University of Pennsylvania’s student body and nearly forty percent of the standing faculty. Women hold leadership roles across campus and the health system and contribute groundbreaking research and life-changing teaching in nearly every field. These strides would have been difficult to imagine in 1876, when two women were the first to enroll as special students at what is now Penn Engineering.

That same year, Philadelphia hosted America’s Centennial Exhibition and World’s Fair, featuring innovations like the telephone, and Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton presented the Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States at Independence Hall. Against this backdrop of dizzying social, political, and economic change, women were still denied the vote. Their full participation on university campuses remained fiercely contested.

As we mark 150 years of women’s achievement at Penn, we celebrate extraordinary progress. Society is once again changing rapidly, however, and equal representation and opportunity remain elusive in many sectors, including the highest levels of government and corporate leadership. As institutions like Penn educate and launch generations of exceptional women, and as Penn women faculty advance in their fields, where has most progress been made and where has it stalled? Why have certain sectors advanced more rapidly than others? How can universities further strengthen the pipeline for female talent while advancing practices that lead to lasting change in the world? What will the next 150 years look like for Penn women?

Join us for the 2026 David and Lyn Silfen University Forum, “150 Years of Penn Women: Progress and the Path Forward,” a timely discussion with a distinguished panel of trailblazing leaders and scholars: Former Penn Presidents Dr. Judith Rodin and Ambassador Amy Gutmann; Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker; and Dr. Virginia M-Y Lee. The event will be moderated by Penn Trustee Emerita Andrea Mitchell, NBC News’ Chief Washington and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, with welcoming remarks by Penn President J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD.