The Bridge - Issue 1, 2023 - 7

Guest Editorial
Former HKN President Ramesh
is now ABET President
S. K. Ramesh, 2022-2023 President of ABET
ABET has been an integral part of my professional
life since I began my career in the California State
University system over three+ decades ago. Today,
ABET accredits over 4,500 programs worldwide in
Engineering, Technology, Computing, and Applied and
Natural Science and the number of programs and
countries we serve continues to grow. This includes over
1,000 programs outside the United States. Every year,
over 175,000 students graduate from ABET accredited
programs. ABET's member societies are critical to our
success. We continue to proactively engage our 35
member societies to diversify and strengthen our global
volunteer base in support of ABET's mission: promoting
and improving the quality of technical education
worldwide. Every day ABET's 2,200+ volunteers donate
their time and expertise in helping ABET achieve this
mission. I have personally witnessed the enormous
transformative impact of ABET accreditation on the
programs we accredit globally, and on the students and
graduates from those programs. Speaking of adapting,
I still find it hard to believe that we completed our past
two accreditation visit cycles 100 % virtually!
Access, Inclusion, Affordability, and Quality are
arguably the most important issues in higher
education today. The challenges from the pandemic
have brought these issues into sharp focus. Healthcare,
climate change, food security, and sustainability, are
among the critical global challenges confronting us. We
have a great opportunity to educate students to find
innovative solutions to these global challenges that
confront society, and prepare them for participation in
a global and diverse society. For higher education these
are challenging times as well, with proposals for radical
changes in the way in which we deliver educational
programs, assess, and evaluate the impact of new
pedagogies and technologies to enhance and improve
student learning. We need to be focused and resilient -
innovating in the face of adversity.
ABET has a rich history of global engagement with
its member societies in support of our mission. As a
testament to these efforts, ABET volunteers are working
diligently to incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and
Dr. S. K. Ramesh is welcomed as ABET President by out-going President
William J. Wepfer (Georgia Tech)
inclusion (DEI) in program accreditation criteria. Treating
one another with respect and courtesy is a fundamental
element of inclusion. Looking ahead, how do we attract,
inspire, and engage students to create a better, diverse,
inclusive, more sustainable world? Clearly, this is at
the heart of what we do in ABET. How can we engage
students in curricular practices that strengthen systems
thinking and sustainability, teamwork, and collaboration,
cross-cultural sensitivities and professional skills, for
diverse environments? Evidence is emerging that
shows that changing the way we teach, with culturally
enhancing pedagogy, broadens participation and makes
education globally accessible and transformative.
ABET is a consensus-based
organization. Continuity, Collaboration
and Communication are vital. Only
things that are well socialized and
supported will get done. We will look at
our past for lessons learned but focus on the future for
what we need to change. I look forward to working with
all of you to serve ABET's diverse tapestry of member
societies and our profession in the exciting times ahead
with an unwavering focus on our strategic goals and
inclusive excellence.
S. K. Ramesh is the 2022-2023 President of ABET. He
served on the ABET Board of Directors. He is an experienced
IEEE Accreditation Program Evaluator (PEV) and is a fellow of
IEEE. Dr. Ramesh served as 2016 IEEE-HKN President and
2016-17 Vice President of IEEE Educational Activities. He is
a professor and former Dean at California State University,
Northridge. He was inducted into HKN by the Lambda
Beta Chapter.
HKN.ORG
7
https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 1, 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 1, 2023
