NSBE Magazine - Fall 2010 - 34

University of Florida, Distinguished Chapter of the Year
Continued from page 33

we didn’t win — we had really passionate people” who cared about the organization, says Morris. Williams praised the webmaster, Eric Martin-Taylor, who revamped the chapter’s website from scratch, and Programs Chair Contessa Middleton, who, Williams says, “had a drive in her to do great.” Williams recalled multiple nights when the board stayed up well past 4 a.m. to make sure things were organized for events. “There were so many times I was staying up late doing NSBE stuff, like planning (the cultural responsibility) forum, getting our cosponsors together, making sure the fliers were printed and making sure I was coordinating with my teammates,” he says. “(After) the time I put into it, it just felt so great to see that progress. And I also thought, ‘Man, some of that stuff can be attributed to what the (Communications) Zone did.” Morris says the chapter had a familylike atmosphere that made their time spent together seem like fun instead of work. “We were just hanging out and doing MichiganTech:Layout 1 8/3/10 7:13 NSBE together,” she says.

foCUs on exCeLLenCe
Williams wasn’t in attendance at the NSBE Annual Convention this year in Toronto, so he didn’t hear the chapter’s name announced as Distinguished Chapter of the Year. But his voice reveals the excitement he felt upon hearing his chapter had gained the honor. “Man, I felt great man!” says Williams. “It was just awesome to know that all the hard work we put in paid off.” Morris agrees. “When they called our name, I was in shock. I even looked over to my vice president, Mykel Fisher, sitting to the right of me, and I said, ‘Are they serious?’” After receiving the honor, Morris left the stage feeling excited, but she wondered about whether the chapter had reached all of its goals. Recalling how critical the board was of itself and how after each event, the first question asked was, “What could we have done better?” Morris says “for us to have won and have felt like we still should have done better is a good feeling. We still have the drive and potential to exceed previous years’ PM Page 1 performance.”

Williams plans to keep up the momentum. “What we have to do as a chapter is make sure everybody is accountable for each other and that our members feel like if they want to, they can contribute to the development of the organization,” he says. This year, Williams plans to continue the Leaders Building Leaders program; start an online test tank, which will give UF–NSBE members access to old tests in gateway engineering courses; and join forces with other academic organizations on campus to host tutoring sessions for UF–NSBE members, as well as other students. Williams also hopes to have a presence in the local community, by having UF–NSBE members volunteer for urban development projects. He says, “I mean, Chapter of the Year is great, but we have to focus on becoming excellent.” ■ Ronesha Dennis is a senior majoring in print journalism and minoring in computer science at Howard University. She interned for NSBE Publications this summer.

The Johns Hopkins University
Whiting School of Engineering
The Whiting School of Engineering will be conducting searches in several disciplines for full-time tenured, tenure-track and non tenure-track faculty positions. The School has nine departments (Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Geography and Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering) and is seeking candidates who strengthen or complement the School’s faculty, especially in areas that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. For information on specific positions, please see all listings on our website: http://engineering.jhu.edu/faculty-employment. The Whiting School of Engineering is committed to building a diverse environment; women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Johns Hopkins University is an EEO/AA Employer.
34 •
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NSBE Magazine - Fall 2010

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