The WIE records document the programs that the office supported and helped to organize. The records include topical files on issues facing women engineers, projects and programs supported by the office such as the Marian Sarah Parker Scholarship program, workshop material and documentation from the Graduate Experience Project. Some scattered photographs are also included. The records (1 linear foot) date from 1990-2000 and are arranged in two series: Programming and Topical Files.
The Women in Engineering Office (WIE) at the College of Engineering serves women students and faculty through its programs, services and resources. It aims to increase the number of qualified women in the field of engineering, create a supportive environment and make available information about relevant women's issues.
WIE originated from the College of Engineering's Pilot Women's Program, established in 1991 under the guidance of Michael Parson, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, and coordinated by a recent graduate of the College of Engineering, Gina Sartor. The Pilot Women's Program represented a collaboration with the Women in Science Program (now Women in Science and Engineering) and implemented programs similar to theirs and those at other institutions for engineering students at the University of Michigan. WIE served as an advocate for students and as a liaison to student organizations on campus such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Women in Graduate Engineering Sciences (WINGES), and to other university offices such as University of Michigan Engineering Council (UMEC). In addition to supporting current students at the college, the program also organized activities for young girls and high school students with interests in math and science.
One of the program's primary activities was, and continues to be, administering the Marian Sarah Parker Scholars Program (originally called the "Pipeline Project"), named in honor of the first woman to graduate from the College of Engineering. The program, originally funded by a National Science Foundation grant, was intended to encourage undergraduate women to pursue advanced degrees in engineering through panel discussions, seminars, group activities and an opportunity to conduct research.
In 1995, along with the Women in Science and Engineering Program, Rackham School of Graduate Studies, the College of Engineering, and others, WIE supported the Graduate Experience Project, a "comprehensive, university-wide initiative to recruit and retain women graduate students in engineering, physics and chemistry." The project focused on three areas: programs (such as orientation for new graduate students, peer advising, workshops and research fellowships), institutional change (through faculty/staff training and the establishment of best practices) and research (including faculty surveys and focus groups).
For current information, refer to the WIE website, available as of October 2002 at http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/support/wie/index.htm.
