A founding faculty member of U-M-Flint has left the largest single gift from an individual donor to the University. The gift of $6 million from the estate of Dorothea Wyatt will take the history program to the next level of excellence.
“We are planning on using the interest from the funds to establish the first endowed professorship at the University of Michigan-Flint,” says D. J. Trela, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We expect this will be named the Dorothea Wyatt Professorship in American History.”
Other uses for the funds include:
• Providing student scholarships at the undergraduate and graduate levels for students who major in history or whose programs concentrate significantly on history;
• Providing support for faculty research; and
• Building stronger connections between the history program, Flint and surrounding communities.
In 1956 Wyatt became one of the original founding faculty members of Flint College, University of Michigan. Five years later, she was promoted to full professor. She was named the first chairperson of the Department of History, and in 1974, she was named the first recipient of the U-M-Flint Outstanding Professorship Award.
Wyatt, who died July 31, 2007, at the age of 98, enhanced her reputation as a teacher through her research. Her publications include “Julia Tutwiler” and “Social Progress in Alabama,” and she also served as a contributing editor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. In addition to her activity within the University, she brought her expertise and energy to the Flint community in a number of capacities, including as a member in the American Association of University Women, Zonta Club and Delta Kappa Gamma.
On June 30, 1975, after a career as teacher, advisor and scholar, she retired with the status of professor emerita.
The U-M-Flint Dorothea E. Wyatt Award was established in 1988 in her honor. Candidates for this award are members of the campus community who are leaders in promoting equity and opportunities for women and who are involved in the creation or implementation of programs to better the status of women.
