SWE - Spring 2008 - (Page 5) PRESIDENT’S NOTE The Power of Diversity and Inclusion O ur ability to advance the Society’s mission is inextricably linked to diversity. To successfully serve our stakeholders — members, partners, the broader engineering community, and the public — we must fully utilize the distinct perspectives, talents, and participation of our current and prospective members. By doing so, we will develop better, more effective leaders, programs, conferences, publications, and overall member services. Our voice as an advocate will continue gaining strength and credibility, consequently helping to improve the status of women in the STEM professions. A diverse and inclusive SWE is a stronger and better SWE. Our diversity principles state that the Society is committed to: • Developing women in engineering across socioeconomic strata and occupational focus • Encouraging the interest and active participation of women and girls of underrepresented ethnic groups • Providing women support that acknowledges and respects differences in family status, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities e welcome and value differences. Our goal is to create an environment where everyone is authentic to herself or himself; and to avoid actions and language that imply we will transform others into the majority culture. Diversity and inclusion means developing a Society that: • Thrives through the talents of all people who support women in engineering • Offers the benefits of SWE to all women in engineering and technology • Reaches out to all communities to establish engineering as a desirable career aspiration for all girls W Michelle Tortolani Building an inclusive SWE requires: the full commitment of everyone in formal and informal leadership; taking actions that reflect the commitment throughout SWE; awareness of opportunities for fostering inclusion and the intentional and unintentional behaviors that are exclusionary; and honoring our legacy in the profession and the community as a leader in diversity. Our recent renewal and expansion of the joint membership programs is an example of this commitment. In October 2007, the Council of Representatives approved renewal of the joint membership programs for professionals with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and expanded the programs to include collegiates. The council also expanded the joint membership programs to include professionals and collegiates in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Increasingly, engineering schools are encouraging collegiate groups to work together. SWE, NSBE, SHPE, and AISES are partnering on campus to amplify sponsorships and participation in career guidance and professional development activities. Expanding the joint membership programs to include collegiates will significantly further such on-campus partnerships. Continuing and expanding our joint membership programs moves our mission forward and provides value by: • Demonstrating and benefiting from the value of diversity • Improving the image of SWE, specifically, reaching a larger, more diverse audience and sharing the benefits of partnership with other engineering societies • Increasing the number of members, which provides a larger voice on issues • Improving our competitive edge A diverse and inclusive organization is a better organization, and we are well along the way to establishing a more diverse and inclusive SWE. Michelle Tortolani FY08 SWE President SWE SPRING 2008 5
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