NSBE - Fall 2009 - 9

From the PublicationsChair NSBE on the RISE By Melanie J. Sutherland NSBE National Publications Chair I t’s a pleasure to serve you as your 2009–10 national publications chair. I decided to step up to leadership this year not just to make a change but to help NSBE grow, in numbers as well as in the production of quality leaders and young engineers. Having an open line of communication between me and all NSBE members will help me achieve these goals. By giving and receiving advice and recommendations and sharing my personal story, I hope we all will grow — academically, professionally and personally. We all need encouragement to follow our own paths and overcome the obstacles between us and our destinies. And NSBE is the place to get that support. If your destiny is to own a business and serve as Finance chair on the National Executive Board, you can get involved in NSBEpreneur and join NSBE World to ask our 33,000-plus members for advice about how to get started. If you are a NSBE alumnus or graduate student with a dream of giving back to your community, you can mentor future NSBE leaders and give them the tools you once were given. I’m all about family and teamwork, because as an organization, together, we will RISE. RISE is not just an acronym; it represents NSBE’s National Directives, the direction in which your National Executive Board has determined NSBE needs to grow this year. RISE is: Retention: The NSBE Freshman Retention Program is designed to increase the number of first-year engineering students who matriculate into their sophomore year with an engineering or other STEM major. With statistics that tell us we lose more than half of our black engineers during their first year of college, the reason for focusing on retention is clear. International Development: Since 1988, there has been considerable growth in NSBE’s international membership and in the incorporation of chapters outside of the U.S. However, many International members question the value of their membership, and NSBE realizes we need to take a different approach to fulfilling our mission abroad. Scholastic Achievement: The purpose of NSBE’s Scholastic Achievement Initiative is to improve the performance of African Americans on the ACT, SAT, GRE and state exams, and to increase the number of AfricanAmerican engineers with a Professional Engineering license. This initiative addresses lack of academic qualifications, one of the major barriers to blacks in the STEM career pipeline. “I’m all about family and teamwork, because as an organization…we will RISE.” Economic Empowerment: The NSBEpreneur program aims to make NSBE a resource for organizations seeking to hire or partner with minority-owned technology businesses (“NSBEpreneurs”). The program will focus on building business excellence in NSBEpreneur companies — and on increasing their ability to contribute to NSBE — by providing them with tools to achieve business success. Let’s make 2009–10 a great program year, and remember, you make NSBE what it is. ■ www.nsbe.org nsbe magazine • fall 2009 • 9

NSBE - Fall 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NSBE - Fall 2009