A Lead Society

FOR SOME TIME, we've all been proud that ASEE has been a leader among engineering societies. Our membership is inclusive: We represent many engineering and related disciplines and a wide variety of academic, corporate, and government institutions. Our contributions are in areas that span issues affecting engineering education: from K-12 through two- and four-year engineering and engineering technology programs; from domestic to international educational systems; and from the scholarship of engineering education regarding classroom content and assessment approaches to our projects work in facilitating the awards of fellowships. Our fiscal and organizational health is strong. Our organization shows excellence in many respects, yet that's only part of the reason that ABET designated ASEE a "Lead Society" in March 2005.

ASEE is a founding member society of ABET, having cooperated with other societies to form ABET (then called ECPD) in 1932. Last year, the ASEE Board of Directors requested that we be designated the ABET Lead Society representing programs in engineering, general engineering, engineering technology, engineering science, and engineering physics. This group includes almost 70 programs. Former ASEE President John Weese, our ABET Board representative, presented our motion with supporting materials and letters of endorsement from representatives of these programs, and the ABET Board approved the action without dissent.

As Lead Society, ASEE will select, train, assign, mentor, and evaluate the performance of evaluators for these programs, as well as provide advocacy within the Engineering Accreditation and Technology Accreditation Commissions of ABET on issues important to their success. Previously, these programs did not benefit from a Lead Society.

We will begin to serve engineering, general engineering, engineering technology, engineering science, and engineering physics programs in this role during the 2006-07 accreditation cycle. The tasks of selecting, training, assigning, and mentoring evaluators will be coordinated through our Accreditation Activities Committee, chaired by Edwin C. Jones, professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Iowa State and an experienced domestic and international ABET evaluator and team chair. We are most fortunate to have the experience and dedication to accreditation services Ed brings to this job. For more than 15 years, he assigned program evaluation visitors for IEEE, which includes approximately 500 programs. He has authored, and our ASEE Board has approved, a set of policies and procedures to guide our accreditation work.

Our new status opens opportunities for all members to explore their interests and to contribute in accreditation service. Prior service as a program evaluator for another Lead Society will neither assure nor prevent eligibility for service as an ASEE program evaluator. Every ASEE member selected to be a program evaluator will be provided training.

With this achievement, ASEE has again expanded its service to engineering education and gained another opportunity to demonstrate the excellence of its members in this new arena of influence and responsibility. Gaining Lead Society status has required the dedication, efforts, and cooperation of many, especially Ed Jones, John Weese, ASEE Executive Director Frank Huband, Multidisciplinary Engineering Committee members Joan Gosink and Jim Farison, ASEE liaison with the Technology Accreditation Commission Walt Buchanan, the members of the ASEE board during the past two years, and our colleagues on the ABET headquarters staff and board. Venturing into new territories requires that everything from the broad vision to the small details be attended, communicated, confirmed, and incorporated into the works of ASEE. For these achievements, I thank this group on behalf of our membership.

I also offer a brief and sincere note of gratitude for the many exciting experiences of the past year as your president. I hope to see you at the annual conference in Portland and personally express my thanks.