Dean Kaler honored with Award for Women’s Equity

Eric W. Kaler

4:26 p.m., June 7, 2005--Eric W. Kaler, dean of UD’s College of Engineering and Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering, was this year’s recipient of the E. Arthur Trabant Award for Women's Equity.

Nominated by UD administrators, students and faculty from the College of Engineering and other colleges and departments, Kaler was chosen for his ongoing efforts to boost the number of female faculty members in the College of Engineering and for his initiation of UD’s Women in Engineering (WIE) program and satellite mentoring program.

“Dean Kaler has been very successful in hiring female faculty and in changing the climate for women in the College of Engineering,” Donna Tuites, coordinator of the Office of Women’s Affairs, said. “He really took a leadership role and offered enthusiastic support in his efforts to boost the status and visibility of women in engineering.”

Besides spearheading UD’s WIE program--a program that fosters an equal-gendered atmosphere in the College of Engineering--Kaler also instituted and nurtured the WIE mentoring program, in which female engineering undergraduates are paired with female engineers from local companies.

Additionally, Kaler was instrumental in hiring five female faculty members to the ranks of the College of Engineering in the past year, and has been actively involved in the partnership between UD and the Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts Council.

Kaler was recognized for all his efforts on behalf of UD women with an engraved plaque, given to him at an honorary luncheon on May 26.

The E. Arthur Trabant Award for Women's Equity was established by the Commission on the Status of Women to further women's equity at the University of Delaware. The award recognizes both the work President Emeritus Trabant did to foster a climate of gender equity on campus during his tenure and the work currently being done by individuals on campus who further that mission.

The award is given annually to an individual, department, administrative unit or committee that contributes significantly to equity for women at the University. Contributions include implementing innovative programs, curricula, policies and procedures related to enhancing women's equity and existing services to women at UD.

Article by Becca Hutchinson

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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