Irma Wyman Awarded Honoray Doctorate of Engineering

Irma Wyman with President Clinton and UM President ColemanPresiden Irma Wyman, center, with former US President Bill Clinton and
UM President Mary Sue Coleman.

The Venerable Irma M. Wyman, long time friend and supporter of CEW, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by the University of Michigan at the April 28 Commencement. She joined former President Bill Clinton, J. Max Bond, Jr., and
Philip Converse in receiving an honorary degree.

Wyman's CEW family is delighted – but not surprised – that the University's honorary degree committee considers her worthy of this high honor. Irma graduated from the College of Engineering in 1949 as one of only two women in the program. Given that women students today still seek acceptance in science, mathematics and engineering programs, we are well aware of the obstacles Wyman and her classmate faced. She was able to have only an "honorary" membership to the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, which at the time accepted only men. When G.I.s returned to college in great numbers at the end of World War II, she was "encouraged" to leave the college to make room for the men.

Wyman made her way, however, from the University into the nascent computing industry. She was a leader in digital processing and rose to become the first female vice president in the multinational company Honeywell, Inc. On her retirement from the computer industry, Irma began a second career in the Episcopal Church, where she is now Archdeacon of the Diocese of Minnesota.
Wyman often describes how the Regents scholarship she received made the difference for her in starting and completing her education at UM. She has returned the favor many times over through her ongoing support of a CEW scholarship for women in engineering, computer science and related fields. With this year's award to Omolola Alade, there are now 13 "Irma Wyman CEW Scholars,"
talented women who are themselves contributing to science and engineering.