Flashback to 1972: Nixon visits China. Terrorists invade the Olympics. The Watergate break-in.

Harvard was undergoing a watershed of its own that year, as women students first moved into Harvard Yard dormitories on a permanent basis. (An experimental "exchange" had begun two years earlier.)

The co-residency of the freshman dorms marked a milestone in the evolving historical relationship between Harvard and Radcliffe colleges. Today, Harvard is responsible for undergraduate life, while Radcliffe is an independent educational and research institution aimed at advancing women.

Next month, Harvard College will mark the 25th anniversary of co-educational living with a daylong "Celebration of Women at Harvard College."

The Saturday, Oct. 4, event will include the dedication of Harvard Yard's newest gate as a lasting symbol of Harvard's full inclusion of women, and a series of panel discussions reflecting on women's experiences in various fields.

The gate dedication is scheduled for 2 p.m. and is open to the public. Located near Canaday Hall and the Science Center, the gate was erected in 1995 as part of an effort to restore and complete the brick and ironwork fence enclosing Harvard Yard.

From 3 to 4:30 p.m., the panel discussions will examine such topics as public service, athletics, law and business, journalism, and popular culture. Panelists will include Harvard faculty members, alumnae -- including members of the path-breaking Class of 1976 -- undergraduates, and other women leaders in their fields. The discussions are by invitation only.

"It's hard to look around today and remember a Harvard College that was not fully co-educational," said Harry R. Lewis, Dean of Harvard College and a member of the Class of 1968.

Said Jeremy R. Knowles, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, "Twenty-five years is barely more than a moment in the span of Harvard College. Yet co-residence was a redefining step, and over these years we have been transformed, and the educational experience of all our students has been enriched."

"It's wonderful to see Harvard stop and remember the contributions women have made in the last 25 years as equal participants in the Harvard experience, and to recognize those who have made change possible," said Lamelle Rawlins '99, Harvard's first woman student body president. "Although the struggle for equality is ongoing, it is important to look back and realize how far we have come."