General Wolfenbarger received an honorary Doctor of Science degree at Wright State University's spring 2013 commencement.
On April 26, 2013, General Janet C. Wolfenbarger was formally awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree during Wright State University's spring commencement ceremony. The honor recognized her groundbreaking achievement as the first woman to attain four-star general rank in the United States Air Force and her leadership as commander of Air Force Materiel Command.
Wright State University, located in close proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base -- the headquarters of AFMC -- had a natural institutional connection to Wolfenbarger's command. The honorary doctorate celebrated not only her military rank but her decades of technical contributions as an engineer and acquisition leader on major Air Force programs.
Receiving this honorary degree added an academic dimension to the wide public recognition Wolfenbarger received in the wake of her historic 2012 promotion. It also reflected the growing awareness in academic and civic institutions of the importance of celebrating women's achievements in fields, like military engineering and command, that had long been closed or difficult for women to enter.
The honorary doctorate stands as one of many honors bestowed upon Wolfenbarger during and after her active-duty career, alongside her later induction into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2016.