October 1, 2009
Baltimore, MD –The 2009 winners of ABET’s prestigious Claire L. Felbinger Awards for Diversity are the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside; the College of Engineering at Florida A&M University and Florida State University; and the College of Engineering and Computer Science at California State University, Fullerton. These awards will be conferred during the ABET Commission Summit on October 28 in San Antonio, Texas.
ABET is the recognized accrediting body for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. The organization’s diversity award is named for the late Dr. Claire L. Felbinger, a Public Member on the ABET Board of Directors and a leader in promoting diversity initiatives for technical fields. The award recognizes educational units, individuals, associations, and firms for extraordinary success in achieving diversity and inclusiveness or for facilitating diversity and inclusiveness in the technological segments of our society.
The 2009 recipients will be recognized for the following achievements:
The Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside — “In recognition of extraordinarily successful initiatives for recruiting undergraduate and graduate students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds, retaining them through the bachelor’s degree, and advancing them to graduate studies and careers in engineering.”
The College of Engineering at Florida A&M University and Florida State University — “In recognition of the creation of a unique engineering program — formed from the partnership between a Research-1 and a historically black university — that has succeeded by being among the top five engineering programs in bachelor’s degrees awarded to black students as well as among the top ten in graduate degrees, and for successfully serving more than 40,000 diverse middle and high school students through outreach programs.”
The College of Engineering and Computer Science at California State University, Fullerton — “For its leadership and accomplishments in attaining significant achievements in diversity facilitated through innovative programs such as the Center for Academic Success in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CASECS) and Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) Scholars.”
About the Award
The Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity began as the President’s Award for Diversity in 2005. It was meant both as an extension of ABET’s commitment to fostering diversity in the disciplines it accredits and as recognition of the outstanding efforts being made in this realm. The award has been presented annually since that time.
Dr. Felbinger, a former Chair of American University’s Masters of Public Administration program, was a Public Member of the ABET Board of Directors from 1998 to 2004. Under her leadership, the Board’s Public Member Committee was a key driver for many of the diversity initiatives ABET has carried out over the past decade, including a formal policy statement on diversity and the reporting of diversity statistics on ABET’s volunteers. In 2008, the ABET Board of Directors approved the renaming of the award in Dr. Felbinger’s honor. Learn more about the Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity.
About ABET
ABET, the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology, is a federation of 31 professional and technical societies representing these fields. Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for more than 75 years.
ABET currently accredits over 3,100 programs at more than 600 colleges and universities worldwide. More than 2,000 dedicated volunteers participate annually in ABET activities. ABET also provides leadership internationally through workshops, memoranda of understanding, and mutual recognition agreements, such as the Washington Accord. ABET is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.