The Trustees’ Council of Penn Women will present its highest honor, the Beacon Award, to journalist Andrea Mitchell, a 1967 graduate of Penn’s College for Women, at a November 6 ceremony in the Penn Museum’s Harrison Auditorium. The award presentation will be followed by an intimate conversation between Mitchell and Amy Gutmann, Penn President Emerita; former U.S. Ambassador to Germany; and a former winner of the Beacon Award.
Andrea Mitchell to be Honored with Beacon Award at Penn
The Trustees’ Council of Penn Women will present its highest honor to pioneering journalist and alumna Andrea Mitchell
Published: October 28, 2025
Mitchell is being recognized for her distinguished career in journalism and her leadership in advancing opportunities for women.
Andrea Mitchell, NBC News journalist and Penn alumna, will be celebrated for her leadership and contributions to journalism.
“Andrea Mitchell has given us profound insight into the major stories that have shaped our country and our world,” explains Aliya Karmally Sahai, Chair of the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women and a 1999 graduate of the Wharton School. “In the process, she paved the way for many female journalists who have followed in her footsteps. Andrea has also been a dedicated supporter of her alma mater, generously sharing her time and talents to make Penn stronger.”
Mitchell has been a trailblazing journalist for decades—from her early work at Penn as student director of WXPN, to anchoring her own show on MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell Reports, to her longtime roles as Chief Washington and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent at NBC.
Since joining NBC News in 1978, Mitchell has covered eight presidential administrations and twelve presidential races. As a correspondent, she has covered pivotal events of recent decades, including the Reagan/Gorbachev summits, the Iran nuclear summits, and conflicts in Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Mitchell has conducted interviews with Cuba’s late President Fidel Castro as well as other world leaders, traveled to capitals around the world, and covered troops on the ground from Baghdad to Beirut. She remains NBC’s leading voice on U.S. foreign policy and international diplomacy today.
Mitchell has also been a long-time leader at her alma mater. She has served as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees; Chair of the Board of Advisors for Penn Arts & Sciences; a reunion volunteer for her class; and a campaign volunteer. Today, she is Trustee Emerita of the University and Chair Emerita of the Penn Arts & Sciences Board of Advisors.
Mitchell has also advanced Penn’s future with her philanthropy, which includes gifts to endow two Penn Integrates Knowledge professorships, which support faculty members who work at the intersection of disciplines and hold appointments in two or more Penn schools. She also established The Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy, which hosts programs and dialogue centered around the quest for democratic values and ideas.
The Beacon Award is presented to highlight Penn’s commitment to women’s issues and recognizes outstanding leaders who have demonstrated this same commitment.
Past Beacon awardees include Nobel laureate and biochemist Katalin Karikó; former U.S. Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton; acclaimed writer and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison; retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; and Third Circuit Court Judge Marjorie O. Rendell.