April 16, 2012
Baltimore, MD – Expanded efforts to communicate with external constituents and the public, and continued outreach to both accrediting organizations outside the U.S. and programs seeking ABET accreditation, are among elements of the updated ABET strategic plan, which the Board of Directors approved on March 24. The Board reaffirmed many other features of the existing document, first adopted a decade ago.
While ABET's core vision to use leading-edge accreditation processes as a means to assure educational quality and stimulate innovation in relevant degree programs worldwide remains unchanged, the updated plan recognizes the larger number and greater variety of organizations with which ABET now interacts. The plan references more systematic publication and distribution of ABET research, articles, and reports; more active promotion of the value of accreditation; and more structured interaction with ABET's 31 Member Societies.
The strategy also calls for enhanced and continuous efforts to attract and engage the more than 2,000 ABET volunteers who serve as program evaluators and in a variety of governance positions. According to the plan, special emphasis should be directed to developing and expanding the volunteer pool in academic disciplines experiencing rapid growth, supporting ongoing ABET involvement with programs and organizations outside of the United States, and evaluating programs using non-traditional instructional delivery systems.
"The update of this strategic plan is very timely and reflects the current challenges in which ABET operates," ABET President Larry A. Kaye, Ph.D., P.E., said.
As a next step, the Board has charged elected ABET leaders and professional staff to develop specific tactics to operationalize the plan and to recommend metrics appropriate for measuring subsequent progress.
About ABET
ABET, the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering 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.