Radcliffe Day

"From Front Lines to High Courts: The Law and Social Change" explores the possibilities and limits of the law in making social change. 00:00 Welcome by Lizabeth Cohen, dean, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study; Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies, Department of History, Harvard University 06:42 "From Front Lines to High Courts: The Law and Social Change" with Jennifer Gordon '87, J.D. '92, Linda Greenhouse '68, Renée M. Landers '77, and Kathleen M. Sullivan, J.D. '81, and moderated by Martha L. Minow EdM '76, dean and Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School 55:21 Q&A

Radcliffe Institute medal recipient Margaret H. Marshall, Ed.M.'69 delivers the Radcliffe Day keynote address. The Radcliffe Institute Medal is presented annually to an individual who has had a transformative impact on society. Margaret H. Marshall has been a force for justice and equality throughout her life, beginning with her years in South Africa and culminating in her service as the 24th chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Radcliffe Institute medal recipient Jane Alexander delivers the Radcliffe Day keynote address. The Radcliffe Institute Medal is presented annually to an individual who has had a transformative impact on society. Jane Alexander has shown courage as an actor and as a champion for the arts during her tenure as the head of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) from 1993 to 1997. Alexander's acting roles—including The Great White Hope, which confronted race and segregation in the Jim Crow era, All the President's Men, and Kramer vs. Kramer—have earned four Oscar nominations, seven Tony nominations and one win, and nine Emmy nominations and two wins. As the first working artist to chair the NEA, Alexander fought to protect arts funding in the 1990s when it came under fire by Congress.

In a panel moderated by Diane Paulus '88, "From Artist to Audience" unites leaders across the visual arts, writing, music, and theater. 00:00 Welcome by Lizabeth Cohen, dean, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study; Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies, Department of History, Harvard University 16:30 "From Artist to Audience" with Elizabeth Alexander RI '08, Beverly McIver RI '03, Mark Robbins RI '03, and Augusta Read Thomas BI '91, and moderated by Diane Paulus '88. 57:47 Q&A

A year in the arts at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, featuring work by Radcliffe Day panelists Elizabeth Alexander RI '08, Beverly McIver RI '03, Diane Paulus '88, Mark Robbins RI '03, Augusta Read Thomas BI '91.

How has knowledge of the human genome transformed the biological sciences? How should we assess the promises, perils, and ethics of creating new organisms in the laboratory? In a panel moderated by Eric S. Lander, I. Glenn Cohen, Linda Griffith, David Liu, and Pamela Silver discuss the science and ethics of creating new life in the laboratory.

Who reads? Who writes? Who reviews? Who wins prizes? In this panel moderated by Gish Jen, Ann Hulbert, Claire Messud, and Elisabeth Schmitz discuss how gender influences what counts as literature and how literary fiction is reviewed and received.

Ever since the ratification of the 15th amendment in 1870, the United States has grappled with the ideal of universal suffrage. Recent obstacles include the Supreme Court decision invalidating key parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, passage of voter-ID laws, and proposals for redistricting. In a panel moderated by Daniel Carpenter, Lani Guinier, Darlene Clark Hine, Tony Horwitz, and Robert Korstad explore why and how the world's greatest democracy has long struggled over which of its citizens can vote.

The Radcliffe Institute honors Drew Gilpin Faust with the Radcliffe Medal, which we present annually to an individual who has had a transformative impact on society. With remarks by Radcliffe Institute Dean Lizabeth Cohen and former Harvard President Neil Rudenstine.

On Radcliffe Day, we reflect on the past, savor the present, and imagine the future, by awarding Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust with the 2014 Radcliffe Medal and by presenting panel discussions that draw on the Institute's broad range of intellectual commitments and its diverse community. Radcliffe Day lunch and panel discussions will be online at