National Society of Black Engineers

National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

Motto	To increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.
Formation	1975 (1975)
Founder	Anthony Harris Brian Harris Edward A. Coleman Stanley L. Kirtley George A. Smith John W. Logan Jr. Arthur Bond
Type	Engineering Society
Headquarters	205 Dangerfield Road, Alexandria, Virginia
Region served	International
Membership	30,000
Official language	English
National Chairperson	Sossena Wood
Budget	$8,000,000 annually
Staff	30
Website	www.nsbe.org

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), was founded in 1975 Purdue University located in West Lafayette, Indiana by six undergraduates and a faculty advisor. It is one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States, with core activities centered on improving the recruitment and retention of Black and other minority engineers, in both academe and industry. NSBE is an organization that provides opportunities for personal and professional success, and remains unmatched by any other organization to date.^[1]

NSBE has more than 30,000 members world-wide, with 2,000 elected leadership positions, 18 regional conferences, an annual international conference, and an annual national convention. Since its inception over forty years ago, NSBE has grown to include approximately 310 collegiate student chapters, 99 pre-college programs, and 88 professional chapters with their 6,000 technical members. A professional staff operates NSBE's World Headquarters in Virginia.

In addition, NSBE has a number of corporate partners and affiliations that facilitate its mission and primary directives, which are essentially engineering excellence and community service. NSBE's Board of Corporate Affiliates (BCA) are businesses interested in diversity, and include companies like Boeing, General Motors, Dow, IBM, United Technologies, Dell, all branches of the American Military, DuPont, 3M, Toyota, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, and many other note-worthy industries. With its corporate partners, dedicated students and professionals, NSBE has accomplished more for Black engineering students and working engineers than any other organization in the world.^[2]

History

When Anthony Harris was an undergraduate student studying engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, he became aware of the alarming attrition rate by minorities, as early as their sophomore year. Determined to fix the leaky pipeline of Black students from freshmen year through graduation and beyond, Harris approached the university's administration about establishing a minority mentoring/networking society in 1971. There was quite a bit of initial resistance, but finally a fledgling Black Society of Engineers (BSE) was founded in 1975 by John Logan, Edward Coleman, George Smith, Stanley Kirtley, Brian Harris, and Anthony Harris (nicknamed ‘The Chicago Six’), along with their designated faculty advisor, Arthur Bond. Anthony Harris proposed that the group change its name to the Society of Black Engineers (SBE) in 1976, which was changed again in 2000 to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).

In that first year, the organization had grown to 32 schools and 48 students from around the country, all of whom were in attendance at the first National Conference. There were six critical motions that were passed at this 1976 conference:

• The National Symbol was chosen
• A rough draft of the National Constitution was written
• The organization was divided into six geographic regions
• The first National Chairperson, John Carson, was officially elected
• The organization was renamed the Society of Black Engineers (SBE)
• Purdue became the first National Headquarters

Also in 1976, NSBE was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas, and became recognized as a tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code. In 1978, NSBE gained national exposure by participating in the National Academy of Science conference on “Minorities in Engineering”. In 1982, the second National Headquarters was established in Washington, D.C.; a building in Alexandria, Virginia was purchased in 1987 to house the rapidly growing organization. In 1997, NSBE had become a significant presence in engineering whereby it was the first minority organization to serve as lead sponsor for National Engineers Week, a premier industry event. The theme then was “Engineers Make a World of Difference”, and this distinction for NSBE was one of its many milestones.^[3] NSBE’s growth continues to be exponential, and the organization has grown to include dozens of international chapters. Today, nearly 20% of NSBE members reside outside the United States and Canada. A larger building in Alexandria was purchased in 2005, and is the current World Headquarters, as opposed to the former National Headquarters.

Mission

NSBE’s primary mission is "to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community." NSBE offers its members leadership training, professional development, mentoring opportunities, career placement services and more. It is NSBE's goal to expand its mission and vision to as many countries around the world as possible, thereby creating a global network of Black engineers, scientists and technologists that support each other, and the cultures they impact.

Brand Logo

NSBE's signature torch was initially chosen by the original members for its distinctive style, and remains a highly recognizable logo. It was first created in 1974 by Anthony Harris, one of the original founders, with the mission tagline "Dedicated to a better tomorrow." The torch's green "N" was added in 1976 when the society went national; the red flame symbolizes members' everlasting "burning desire" to achieve success in a competitive society, wherein one must positively affect the quality of life for all people; the yellow lightening bolts represent the striking impact felt by the societies/industries benefitting from member service and intervention.

Structure and Governance

NSBE was incorporated in 1976 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is owned and managed by its members. The organization is dedicated to academic and professional success, but more so, the significance of Black engineering students and professionals around the world. NSBE has a dual structure consisting of a national executive board of graduate/undergraduate students, and a professional executive board of career engineers. NSBE has a national advisory board, and is operated by a professional staff of 30 located at their World Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

NSBE is divided into six geographical regions, each operating under the auspices of the parent organization, but with their unique objectives and finances for the year. Each of these regions has a number of student chapters, with governing and leadership personnel who report back to headquarters. The regions each have annually elected members of a regional executive board, with individual senators and professional advisors, all of whom convene yearly at their six regional conferences. Each region has varying numbers of student chapters, each with a mandatory minimum of ten members, with their own unique culture, songs, and slogans. Competitive inter-regional rivalries are key to driving NSBE's program participation, community service, and academic scholarship.

International Expansion

In 1992, NSBE broadened the scope of its activities to include chapters and programs outside of the USA, and established its first international chapter in London, England; the first international summit was held at the newly designated World Headquarters in Alexadria, Virginia. In 1999, NSBE held the first international conference in Ghana, West Africa, and the first international annual convention was held in Toronto, Canada in 2010. That same year, NSBE was instrumental in facilitating 28 minority students from St. Lucia matriculating and excelling in baccalaureate engineering programs at several Illinois universities.

NSBE now supports engineering students at dozens of international universities, and offers career development to minority engineers globally. NSBE directives mandate that the same light that flows from the trademark NSBE torch to students and professionals in the United States is also relevant for engineering students in Africa, Europe, South America, Asia, Canada, Australia and the Caribbean.^[4] Therefore, the organization is committed to its international outreach activities, and vigorously supports its chapters around the world.

NSBE is committed to more than just academic success abroad, and emphasizes community service as well. In 2013, NSBE officials visited a village in Ghana and assisted engineers there in the design and construction of a superior fresh water pump. With the generous assistance from its BCA, the organizations provides financial support in the form of grants for engineering projects and programs around the world.

Annual National Conventions

NSBE sponsors an annual meeting of between 8,000-10,000 attendees, where registered members can avail themselves of professional education courses, personal development seminars, engineering workshops, job fairs, career strategies, motivational speakers, entertainment, and much more. These conventions address/impact the state of engineering, the status of Black engineers in the USA and abroad, emergent technology, industry, and solidarity, all within the particular annual theme determined by the Convention Planning Committee (CPC) Chairs. The 2014 CPC Chair, Brandon James Johnson, proposed an engineering in music theme called "Engineering and Leadership in Harmony", given the Music City moniker for Nashville, Tennessee, the location for the NSBE40 convention. Every year, hundreds of representatives from colleges and universities, NSBE corporate partners, and non-BCA companies alike are in attendance to support, interview, educate, and/or recruit prospective students, new graduates, and technical experts.

The keynote speakers are engineering luminaries from academe, government, and industry, who discuss their own illustrious career paths and advise members as to pitfalls along the way. Past convention keynoters have included the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, Dick Gregory, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Kwesi Mfume, and Roland Martin.

Recognitions, Scholarships, and Awards

NSBE recognizes distinguished achievement and community service in the fields of engineering via the prized Golden T.O.R.C.H. (Technical OutReach and Community Help) Award, which is presented at each annual convention. These awards are endowed through the society, while the student awards are in the form of academic scholarships, which are presented by a number of industries and foundations. Annual scholarship awards are also presented at convention, and range from $500 to $10,500 following a rigorous application process. It is a matter of pride and distinction for each region's chapters to receive a majority of the scholarship awards. In addition to the T.O.R.C.H. and scholarships, NSBE offers cash awards of up to $7,500, acknowledging the highest achieving members in different categories such as lifelong service, technological prowess, academic performance, and entreprenauship. Each of these awardees also receives a GTA (Golden T.O.R.C.H. Award), which is sometimes more valued than the cash prize.

Programs

• Career Fairs
• National Leadership Institute
• Graduate School Fairs
• Technical Research Projects
• Academic Competitions
• Scholarships
• Retention Program
• Technical Competitions
• Awards and Prizes
• SEEK (Summer Engineering Experience for Kids)
• NSBEpreneur^TM
• GPA Initiative
• Technical Professionals Programs

Publications

NSBE publishes three magazines for its membership:

• NSBE Magazine, its award-winning, flagship publication that offers feature articles of interest to engineering college students, faculty, and technical experts.
• Bridge Magazine, marketed toward a pre-collegiate, younger audience to pique their interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
• Career Engineer, which offers the latest industry news, cutting-edge technology, and strategies for work-life balance.

The National Chairs

See also

Purdue University College of Engineering
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
Society of Women Engineers

References

1. ↑ "NSBE History" (PDF). National Society of Black Engineers. 
2. ↑ "About NSBE". National Society of Black Engineers. 
3. ↑ "NSBE History" (PDF). National Society of Black Engineers. 
4. ↑ "National Society of Black Engineers home page". NSBE. 

External links

• National Society of Black Engineers Homepage
• NSBE International Homepage
• National Society of Black Engineers on Twitter