May Brodbeck Distinguished Achievement Award for Faculty

May Brodbeck (1917-1983) served a Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculties at the University of Iowa from 1974 to 1981. Brodbeck earned a doctorate in philosophy from Iowa in 1947 and taught at the University of Minnesota from 1947 to 1972. She gained an international reputation as a scholar in philosophy, known particularly for her work in the philosophy of science. As Iowa’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Brodbeck provided inspirational and effective leadership in a period of enormous faculty growth and intellectual ferment. She expanded the program of faculty developmental leaves, placed the Women’s Studies program on a firm footing, and in general, improved the place of women in the academic world by example, by encouragement, and by administrative achievement. The May Brodbeck Award honors faculty who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and serve as role models and mentors for girls and women.

Susan C. Buckley Distinguished Achievement Award for Staff

Sue Buckley served the University of Iowa for nearly 40 years, retiring as Vice President for Human Resources in 2015. She contributed to many parts of the University, including the Action Studies Program and Women’s Athletics. She was Director of the Women’s Resource and Action Center (WRAC) from 1983 to 1989 during a time of considerable growth, including working closely with the Women Against Racism Committee which held several national and regional conferences that profoundly affected the discourse on race in our community and beyond. She left WRAC to serve as founding director of the Pre-Vocational Training Program, which offered services to help women enter the trades and other non-traditional occupations in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency. In 1993 she was named the first recipient of the Jean Y. Jew Women’s Rights Award. Through all these roles, she left a legacy of expanded rights and enhanced work satisfaction for countless University of Iowa staff members. The Susan C. Buckley Award honors staff who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and serve as role models and mentors for girls and women.