The Importance of Minority & Women Program Evaluators Recognized by ABET

ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. ABET has intensified its efforts to address the challenges of diversity, both within the organization itself and within the programs it accredits. Have you considered becoming an ABET Program Evaluator?

ABET felt that it could not impose expectations of change upon accredited programs without also demonstrating its commitment to the same ideals. Therefore, during the past few years, the organization has directed much of its energies into incorporating diversity considerations into all levels of its internal structure.

• Its Board of Directors adopted a diversity policy, developed by its Diversity Task Group, affirming its commitment to making ABETs ranks more representative of the populations they serve.
• Recently, the Executive Committees for ABETs four commissions applied science, computing, engineering, and technology scrutinized their slates of new candidates, and several ABET member societies were urged to reconsider and submit qualified alternative nominees that would broaden the commissions employment and gender diversity.
• Also, ABET is exploring innovative means to encourage its member societies to diligently recruit and select a more diverse slate of program evaluators, who may rise into the organization?s leadership ranks in the future.

ABET may face a long journey, but it is committed to fostering diversity among its volunteers at all levels and among the applied science, computing, engineering, and technology programs that these individuals accredit.?

Have you considered becoming an ABET Program Evaluator? Information on how you can become an ABET Program Evaluator is available at http://www.abet.org/volunteer.shtml