ABET recognizes that its ability to fulfill its vision, mission, and strategic plan relies almost entirely on its available resources, human, financial, and otherwise.
Therefore, ABET pursues such resources, so long as that pursuit adheres to the governing principles set forth in the ABET Constitution, By-Laws, and Rules of Procedure and to the customer service principles set forth in the ABET Quality Promise.
Whenever possible, ABET's pursuit of resources will involve partnering or forming alliances with organizations that share common goals.
Such organizations may be nonprofit, for-profit, or governmental agencies based in the United States or outside of the United States.
They may be associations, corporations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), peer quality assurance organizations, or others.
General Principles of ABET Partnerships
ABET partnerships provide ABET with either financial support, in-kind support, or both and may include any or all of the following elements: grantmaking, sponsorship, licensing, message promotion, employee involvement, and advocacy.
No matter what type of support an ABET partnership provides, it must:
- Further ABET's vision, mission, and/or strategic plan.
- Clearly benefit one or more of ABET's constituencies (which include institutions, professional societies, the general public, and the technical professions).
- Adhere to the governing principles set forth in the ABET Constitution, By-Laws, and Rules of Procedure.
- Be consistent with the customer service principles set forth in the ABET Quality Promise.
- Mutually benefit all partners.
- Give appropriate attribution to ABET.
In addition, an ABET partnership:
- Does not imply endorsement of products or services provided by the partner.
- Will avoid any and all real or perceived conflicts of interest.
- Will be managed by ABET staff ethically and with integrity.
- Will comply with applicable local, state, and national laws.
- Will not prevent ABET from exercising independent judgment in all decision-making.
- Will be disclosed to the public.
- Will be documented through written agreement.
- Will include a timeline with specified beginning and ending dates.
- Will incur no unbudgeted financial liability for ABET
Any use of the ABET name, logo, and identifying marks shall be reviewed and approved by ABET in advance of their use.
Nonprofit Partnerships
Formal partnership between ABET and any nonprofit entity shall be called an ABET-nonprofit partnership.
ABET has long understood the importance of nonprofit partnering to assure quality and stimulate innovation in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology education. Not only was the organization founded via nonprofit partnership—partnership among disparate professional and technical societies—but, nearly 75 years later, it continues to operate as a nonprofit partnership—a federation of more than two-dozen professional and technical societies, working together to achieve shared goals.
Partnering with others in the nonprofit community:
- Strengthens ABET's support among community leaders.
- Provides the opportunity to leverage mutually limited resources.
- Enhances ABET recognition and helps broadcast its achievements, opportunities, and core messages to all levels of the vast communities it serves.
Corporate Partnerships
Formal partnership between ABET and any for-profit entity shall be called an ABET-corporate partnership. While ABET-corporate partnerships are a more recent development in ABET's history, these partnerships have been rich and mutually beneficial.
Partnering with corporations:
- Provides ABET with financial opportunities not available in other sectors it serves.
- Raises ABET's profile among corporate leadership and employees within the broad industries it serves who might not otherwise be aware of the organization and its activities.
- Provides ABET with input from one of its most important yet underrepresented constituencies.
Governmental Partnerships
Formal partnership between ABET and any government agency shall be called an ABET-governmental partnership. Governmental partnerships have allowed ABET to make a significant impact on the communities it serves, particularly among postsecondary programs and institutions.
Partnering with national agencies:
- Offers consistent financial support for even the largest of ABET's projects.
- Provides ABET with an external evaluator/consultant for its initiatives.
- Permits ABET to serve as an evaluator/consultant for its initiatives
- Confers national or international recognition and validation of ABET's initiatives.