Baltimore – The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME) is the newest Associate Member Society of ABET, the accreditation organization dedicated to assuring quality in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology education.

As a global leader in accreditation, ABET ensures that technical education programs around the world are effectively adapting to the changing educational environment. This includes taking steps to facilitate the entry of diverse students into technical classrooms. The addition of NACME, the 2012 winner of ABET’s Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity, allows ABET to make further inroads in its drive to promote diversity in the technical disciplines.

“Bringing NACME on board is a big boost for ABET’s diversity initiatives,” said ABET Executive Director Michael K. J. Milligan, Ph.D., P.E. “Not only will they lend us valuable direction in the role of improving diversity. NACME has a long history of expanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to broad and diverse audiences and throughout its history has built strong ties with industry, which are extremely valuable to ABET as an organization that fosters diversity and strives to remain relevant in our field.”

Since 1974, NACME has supported initiatives that aim to increase the number of successful African-American, American Indian, and Latino students in STEM education and careers. Currently, NACME provides scholarship support for approximately 1,300 college engineering students through a national network of 51 NACME Partner Institutions. To date, the organization has provided over 24,000 students with more than $142 million in scholarships and support.

NACME President and Chief Executive Officer Irving Pressley McPhail, Ed.D., is equally enthusiastic about his organization’s membership within ABET.

“ABET is recognized as the worldwide leader in assuring quality and stimulating innovation in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology education,” said McPhail. “NACME has been at the forefront of the national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, American Indian, and Latino women and men in STEM education and careers for the past four decades. Both organizations share a commitment to the belief that diversity drives innovation. I look forward to working with my fellow board directors and ABET leadership to ensure that diversity becomes an even stronger and more visible metric in promoting quality and innovation in engineering education.”

As an Associate Member Society, NACME will contribute to the ABET mission of assuring quality in technical education worldwide and hold a non-voting seat on the ABET Board of Directors. The organization will not have curricular responsibility for specific programs.

The ABET Board approved NACME’s application for admission as an Associate Member Society during its October 2013 meeting. The application was ratified by two-thirds of ABET’s member societies in February 2014.

The addition of NACME brings the current number of ABET Member Societies up to 34, with 30 member organizations and four associate member organizations. See the full list of ABET Member Societies.

About ABET

ABET, the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology, is a federation of 34 professional and technical societies representing these fields. Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, ABET currently accredits over 3,400 programs at almost 700 colleges and universities in 28 countries. More than 2,200 dedicated volunteers participate annually in ABET activities. ABET is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.