Professor celebrated posthumously for exceptional advocacy for equity

Heartfelt tributes marked a May 16 reception celebrating the posthumous bestowal of the Mary Lou Dietz Equity Leadership Award on computer science professor Angela Sodan. The award, named for a late UWindsor faculty member, honours individuals who demonstrate the spirit of equity leadership by working to create an equity culture on campus

Dr. Sodan—who joined the School of Computer Science as an associate professor in 2000—died in April 2011 with a record of encouraging and protecting women and underrepresented minorities. She was a long-standing chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Women in Engineering committee and helped to found a student affiliate group at the University of Windsor.

The reception at Kerr House included members of the Dietz family and Sodan’s friends in the community as well as many campus colleagues. Speakers described Sodan as a remarkable and inspiring woman, a committed researcher, a compassionate mentor, and a friend—one who was equally concerned that fairness and ethics prevail. Her report “Recruiting and Retaining Female Students in Computer Science Programs of Windsor” was her final contribution.

In accepting the award on Sodan’s behalf, dean of science Marlys Koschinsky pledged to place the plaque in a space designated for women students in computer science and related disciplines. More information about the award and about Sodan’s accomplishments may be found on the Faculty Association Web site.

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