ABET Constitution

I. Name

The name of this organization shall be "ABET, Inc.," hereinafter referred to as ABET.

II. Purposes

1. ABET is a non-stock, membership corporation based in the United States and focused on quality assurance and world leadership in fulfillment of its purposes. It is a federation of societies organized for the public good. Its purposes are educational, charitable, and scientific.
2. To further the public welfare, ABET assures quality through the accreditation of educational programs, thereby assuring the competence of graduates entering professional practice. ABET accomplishes this through the development and promulgation of accreditation criteria.
3. ABET will help assure educational quality within the academic community by stimulating innovation, fostering continuous improvement, and facilitating the strategic planning needed to achieve these goals.
4. Educational programs of interest to ABET include applied science, computing, engineering, technology, and other such disciplines as may be approved by the ABET Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the Board.)
5. In support of the programs described, ABET will engage in other appropriate projects and programs.

III. Members

1. ABET is comprised of those societies that have been admitted as Member Societies in accordance with provisions (a - d) of Article Four of the ABET Constitution or as Associate Member Societies in accordance with provisions (e and f) of Article Four.
2. Member Societies possess full rights of membership and governance (Article Six) while Associate Member Societies possess only those rights specifically defined for them in this Constitution and Bylaws.
3. The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), CSAB, Inc., National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) shall have status as Member Societies notwithstanding provisions of Article Four.

IV. Admissions

1. Autonomous societies with headquarters in the United States whose goals can effectively support those of ABET may qualify for admission as Member Societies of ABET.
2. Characteristics that support society eligibility for Member Society status include the following:
1. Active engagement in the dissemination of technical knowledge;
2. Demonstrated interest and capability in the accreditation process;
3. Substantial national membership of employed graduates in the discipline;
4. An organizational structure that has an educational component; and
5. Evidence the society speaks for the technical community it represents.
3. Applicants for admission as a Member Society must demonstrate they would have responsibility for a discipline within applied science, computing, engineering, technology, or other such disciplines as may be appropriate, at the post-secondary level.
4. Approval of an application for membership as a Member Society is by majority vote of the Board and subsequent ratification by at least two-thirds of the governing bodies of the Member Societies.
5. Autonomous societies with headquarters in the United States having interest in education for applied science, computing, engineering, technology, or other such disciplines as may be appropriate and whose goals can effectively support those of ABET may qualify for admission as Associate Member Societies of ABET.
6. Applications for membership as Associate Member Societies must be approved by majority vote of the Board and subsequent ratification by the governing bodies of at least two-thirds of the combined total of the Member and Associate Members Societies.

V. Withdrawal

1. A society may withdraw from ABET at the end of an ABET fiscal year. Upon withdrawal, the society shall forfeit the equity, if any, it has in the assets of ABET and shall cease to have any rights or privileges in ABET. The society shall continue to be liable for any fiscal assessments until the effective date of withdrawal.
2. Whenever a society fails to meet its responsibilities to ABET, such failure shall, at the option of the Board, constitute a request by the society to withdraw from ABET.

VI. Governing Body

1. The governing body of ABET shall be the Board of Directors.
2. The Board shall establish those policies and procedures needed to carry out the purposes defined in Article 2. It shall establish and modify as needed the Constitution, subject to the ratification procedure defined in Article Nine. It shall establish and modify as needed the Bylaws, Rules of Procedure, Accreditation Criteria and other policies of ABET. It shall establish the annual budget and member assessment formula and in all other ways maintain responsibility for the well being of ABET.
3. The Board shall be comprised of individuals who serve as officers (Article Seven), representatives of the Member Societies, and representatives of the public.
4. Terms of service, including starting dates and duration, are set by the Board. Should a vacancy occur during a term of service, the Member Society or Associate Member Society shall select another Representative Director or Associate Member Representative to complete the term. Should a vacancy occur during a Public Director’s term of service, the Board shall select another Public Director. Completion of an unexpired term will not be counted toward the total allowable period of service.
5. Directors are selected and appointed by the separate Member Societies, with each society having at least one but not more than three Directors. The number of additional Directors, above the minimum number for each Member Society, depends on the number of accredited programs for which the Society is responsible according to a formula created by the Board.
6. Public Directors are individuals of trust and responsibility in their communities who are not otherwise affiliated with the specific professions represented by ABET. They enjoy all the privileges of governance including voting. Public Directors are elected by the Board. Their number, qualifications, and terms of service are defined by the Board.
7. An Associate Member Representative is selected and appointed by each of the separate Associate Members. Associate Member Representatives enjoy the full privileges of debate and discussion within the Board but, unless specifically directed otherwise, are without vote.
8. A quorum of the Board exists at a meeting when there is a majority of voting Directors present and at least two-thirds of the Member Societies are represented by at least one Director. The Board will establish and follow rules for voting.
9. The Board shall schedule meetings to conduct its business. Additional meetings may be called by the President or by at least three Member Societies acting through their Directors. All scheduled meetings will follow an established agenda that will be promulgated according to rules set by the Board. Methods for dealing with exceptions to the agenda shall be set by the Board.
10. Actions of the Board will be noted in an official record that will be made publicly available and sent to each Member and Associate Member Society. The Board will promulgate reports annually that (1) detail accomplishments of ABET, (2) provide a financial statement, and (3) provide a budget for the coming year.

VII. Officers

1. The officers of ABET shall be a President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The officers will each serve a one-year term except for the Treasurer who will serve a term of two years.
2. The officers of ABET shall be selected by election within the Board. The President and President-Elect are not eligible for immediate re-election to the same office at the expiration of their current term.
3. Officers shall be nominated from a group comprised of present and past Directors. The President-Elect ascends to the office of President upon completion of the current term or in the event that the President is unable to perform the duties of President.
4. In the event that any Officer other than the President is unable to perform the requisite duties, the Board may elect a replacement.
5. An Executive Committee will guide ABET in its business by generating draft policies, writing or commissioning reports, setting meeting agendas, and otherwise providing leadership for the Board. The Executive Committee will conduct essential ABET business that arises between meetings including the replacement of officers found unable to perform requisite duties. All such actions are subject to review by the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
6. The Executive Committee is comprised of the Officers of the Board, two members of the Board elected by the Board as liaisons for terms that are determined by ABET, the Executive Director of ABET who serves without vote, the Chairs of the individual Accreditation Commissions who serve without vote, the Chair of the Global Council who serves without vote, the Chair of the Accreditation Council who serves without vote, and additional members as provided by the Bylaws.
7. The financial operation of ABET will be reviewed regularly by the Board or its designee and reports of findings will be presented to the Board. ABET shall obtain an annual audit of its financial operation by an independent certified public accountant whose selection shall be approved annually by the Board.

VIII. Accreditation

1. In pursuit of its purposes (Article Two), ABET will conduct accreditation of educational programs.
2. ABET delegates to the Accreditation Commissions the responsibilities for conducting accreditation activities. The Accreditation Commissions are enabled and appointed by the Board.
3. The Accreditation Commissions are responsible for conducting accreditation evaluations of educational programs and rendering decisions on these programs based on policies and Accreditation Criteria that have been approved by the Board. The Accreditation Commissions shall make final decisions, except for appeals, of accreditation actions. In the event of an appeal of a commission’s action, the Board shall render the final decision on behalf of ABET.
4. Each Accreditation Commission is responsible for the continuous review and enhancement of its particular criteria, policies, and procedures. All changes to the Accreditation Criteria and policies require approval by the Board. ABET will determine the means for obtaining these approvals.

IX. Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed at any meeting of the Board, by the President or by motion of the Directors of three or more of the Member Societies. Such properly proposed amendments shall be circulated with the agenda of the next following Board meeting. Approval of amendments requires a majority vote of the Board and subsequent ratification by the governing boards of at least two-thirds of the Member Societies.

X. Dissolution

The ABET corporation may be dissolved in accordance with the law of the State in which it is incorporated.