Patricia Hyer of Blacksburg,, associate provost for academic administration at Virginia Tech, has been named a Fellow of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS).

Hyer was honored for her leadership in promoting gender equity and institutional policy innovations for women in academic science and engineering at an award ceremony held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Francisco.

Hyer is among 10 new AWIS Fellows selected for their dedication and commitment to the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Since the AWIS Fellows Program was created in 1996, 119 women and men have been inducted and honored.

Hyer received her bachelor's degree from Hillsdale College; two master's degrees in French and in adult and continuing education from the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in educational policy studies from Virginia Tech where she has been on the Provost’s leadership team since 1987. Her current role in the Provost's Office is focused on faculty personnel issues, policy and governance, and diversity efforts. She is also co-principal investigator on Virginia Tech’s NSF ADVANCE Grant for Institutional Transformation to advance women in science and engineering. In 2004, Hyer was selected Woman of the Decade for her contributions to women at Virginia Tech.

The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) is the largest multi-disciplinary scientific organization for women in the U.S. AWIS is dedicated to achieving equity and full participation of women in all fields of science and technology. Now in its 35th year as the premiere professional association for women in STEM disciplines, AWIS has over 3,000 members and over 50 chapters. Membership is open to any individual who supports the full participation of women in science.

Founded in 1872 as a land-grant college, Virginia Tech is the most comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is among the top research universities in the nation. Today, Virginia Tech’s eight colleges are dedicated to quality, innovation, and results through teaching, research, and outreach activities. At its 2,600-acre main campus located in Blacksburg and other campus centers in Northern Virginia, Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke, Virginia Tech enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries in 180 academic degree programs.

Share this story