President Klawe to Receive Honorary Degree

Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada during the June commencement ceremony. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the University of Lethbridge is a public liberal arts institution with campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary.

“I’m thrilled to receive this honorary degree from Lethbridge,” Klawe says. “I admire the university’s work to advance experiential educational opportunities for its students.”

Recipients of Lethbridge’s honorary degrees are those who have personified the university’s philosophy of cultivating humane values and fostering intellectual growth, social development, aesthetic sensitivity and personal ethics and have made substantial contributions to society.

Klawe became Harvey Mudd College’s fifth president in 2006. A renowned computer scientist and scholar, she is the first woman to lead the college. Klawe is a North American expert on diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; gender and gaming; utilizing lessons from her own career in STEM industry and education. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, she was ranked 17th on Fortune’s 2014 list of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. Klawe is on the boards of the nonprofits Math for America and EdReports.org. She was previously dean of engineering and professor of computer science at Princeton University and dean of science, vice president of student and academic services, and head of the computer science department at the University of British Columbia. Klawe spent eight years with IBM Research in California and two years at the University of Toronto. She received a PhD and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Alberta.

Following the presentation of her honorary degree, Klawe will address the university’s graduating class.

The University of Lethbridge’s honorary degree recipients come from all walks of life and are selected by the University Senate from nominees provided by members of the general public and the university community. The list of past honorees includes a who’s who of astronauts, premiers, international entertainers, world renowned scientists, authors and more.