SIS Hosts Dedication Ceremony

On October 19th, SIS was proud to host a dedication ceremony in honor of the late faculty member, Dr. Ida M. Flynn.  Dean Ronald Larsen welcomed the group of family, friends, and University colleagues to the ceremony.  Tributes were given by two recipients of the Ida M. Flynn Memorial Award, alumni of the undergraduate program, Christina Savinell and Courtney Machi.  Alumnus and friend, Paul Krauss, as well as staff representative, Mary Koller, also spoke about Dr. Flynn’s warm and supportive manner towards students.  Additionally, Dr. Flynn was honored by her advisor and mentor, Dr. Margaret M. Kimmel.  Dr. Flynn’s brother-in-law offered remembrances of Ida on behalf of the family.  After the handsome bronze plaque was unveiled, SIS hosted a reception.

Dr. Ida M. Flynn was a significant and respected member of the School of Information Sciences faculty and an outstanding contributor to the discipline.  She began her teaching career at Pitt in 1980 as a lecturer and was named assistant professor in 1994.  She served as the Director of the undergraduate Information Science Program from 1991 to 2000, when she retired while continuing to teach at SIS.

Dr. Flynn earned B.A. in mathematics from Adelphi University and her M.S.T. in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology.  She received an M.B.A. from Pitt in 1980 and a Ph.D. from SIS in 1994.

Dr. Flynn’s memory is honored with the Ida M. Flynn Award, which was established in tribute to her work as a great educator, a pioneer in the Information Science Field, a dedicated mentor to students and an outstanding role model for women in the Information Sciences.  The Award is presented annually to an undergraduate student at SIS who best exemplifies the same type of intellectual and mentoring accomplishments that marked Dr. Flynn’s tenure here at SIS.