Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, School of Engineering
Fostering Community
This academic administrator's commitment to women's concerns spans multiple decades and changes in MIT culture. As a result of her initiative, a groundbreaking 1983 report, "Barriers to Equality: Women in Computer Science at MIT," highlighted the department's disparate treatment of male and female students, presenting numerous recommendations. Her Infinite Mile award calls it "a brave and worthy effort" that arose because her "deep concern for students translated into action." She's been a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Women Undergraduate Enrollment in Course VI since 1993 and, in 1999, helped form the Graduate Women's Group of Course VI.
The "Mythology of Marilyn" claims Marilyn Pierce knows histories of all Course VI students during her thirty-some year tenure. One former student recalls her announcing that his coursework qualified him for an interim degree that he didn't even know existed! All students consider her "Department Oracle," "a godsend," "a bulldog in their corner," and "Dynamite!"
For her dedication to the students of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, we are pleased to award Marilyn Pierce this MIT Excellence Award. Congratulations.