Donovan, Margaret F. Chair for Women in Engineering
An educator by profession, Margaret F. Donovan believes that education is the pathway to betterment and success. A staunch advocate for recognizing hard work, combined with her unique window into the challenge's women in the engineering field face, Mrs. Donovan has taken decisive action to promote gender equity in engineering education and careers in the U.S.
As one of five daughters from a family of modest means, Mrs. Donovan came to the early understanding that education was often the difference between those who succeeded and those who faced continual hardship. In her own life, she was the first member of her family to complete a college education.
Following graduation, Mrs. Donovan taught for three years before having children, then periodically for a total of 10 years in teaching and counseling. Together with her husband, the late Robert E. Donovan, she continued to make education a priority in raising her children. Following Mr. Donovan's death in 1996 and reflecting the family's long held faith in the power of education, she established The Robert E. Donovan Scholarship Fund (Donovan Scholarship) at The University of Akron. The scholarship supports women in engineering, business, and law, recognizing that women are not equally represented in some professional fields.
Establishing the Donovan Scholarship gave Mrs. Donovan the chance to see challenges faced by women engineers. This led her to establish The Margaret F. Donovan Chair for Women in Engineering (Donovan Chair), the first of its kind established in the U.S. Now, her passion and advocacy for female equality in education is being passed down to her daughter, Kara Donovan, and her granddaughters: Caitlin R. Hayes, Neve R. Hayes, Cali G. O'Donovan, and Ruby M. O'Donovan.
Established in 2001 and revised in 2021, The Margaret F. Donovan Chair for Women in Engineering creates a permanent position designed to encourage women in achieving equity in engineering and education careers.
The holder of the Donovan Chair will encourage women enrolled in °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ undergraduate and graduate engineering programs to undertake and complete engineering degrees. The Chair holder will work to generate interest in studying math and science among female elementary and high school students, as well as support programs to achieve this end. Mrs. Donovan and The University of Akron College of Engineering and Polymer Science believe that the establishment of the permanent Donovan Chair will level the playing field and make engineering education more accessible for women.
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