October 29, 2011
Baltimore, MD - Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) is the latest body to become an Associate Member of ABET, the accreditation organization dedicated to assuring quality in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology education. The organization’s representative to the ABET Board of Directors – Mary C. Juhas, Ph.D., of The Ohio State University – took her seat at the Board’s fall meeting, held October 29 in Baltimore, MD.
Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN) is a national not-for-profit organization with more than 600 members from engineering schools, small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, and non-profit organizations. Founded in 1990 by university leaders focused on supporting women studying the engineering fields, WEPAN reaches 42,890 female engineering students, or 60 percent of the female engineering students in the United States, through campus-based programs and initiatives.
"WEPAN is working to attract female students to engineering disciplines and to support them as they pursue degrees and subsequent careers," ABET President Larry A. Kaye, Ph.D., P.E., said. "The society's mission complements ABET's vision well. ABET aims to assure quality and stimulate innovation in technical education, and finding ways to make engineering education more appealing to women, who are underrepresented in these fields, is certainly part of that vision."
Effective immediately, WEPAN is a full-fledged ABET Associate Member Society. Associate Member Societies participate in and contribute to the ABET community, but they do not have Board of Director voting rights or participate in ABET accreditation commission leadership. WEPAN members can serve ABET as program evaluators through the professional or technical societies that represent their fields of expertise on the Board of Directors.
"We welcome Dr. Juhas' unique insights as a new member of the ABET Board of Directors and look forward to her society's members becoming involved in more of ABET's many accreditation activities," Dr. Kaye continued.
The ABET Board approved the WEPAN's admission as an Associate Member Society during its last meeting, in March 2011. Two-thirds of ABET's Member Societies had to ratify WEPAN's admission for the new society to be admitted officially into ABET. ABET headquarters received notification about the last of the necessary votes on Monday, July 11, 2011.
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.