The Mission of NSBE

The mission of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is "to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community. "

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) with more than 24,000 members, is one of the largest student-managed organizations in the country. NSBE is comprised of more than 270 chapters on college and university campuses, 75 Alumni Extension chapters nationwide, and 75 Pre-College chapters. These chapters are geographically divided into six regions.

NSBE's Objectives
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) strive to accomplish the following objectives for our organization:

	Stimulate and develop student interest in the various engineering disciplines.
	Strive to increase the number of minority students studying engineering at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
	Encourage members to seek advanced degrees in engineering or related fields and to obtain professional engineering registrations.
	Promote public awareness of engineering and the opportunities for Blacks and other minorities in that profession.
	Function as a representative body on issues and developments that affect the careers of Black Engineers.

New and innovative project ideas are generated and implemented throughout the year on the chapter, regional and national levels. Some of NSBE's present activities include tutorial programs, group study sessions, high school/junior high outreach programs, technical seminars and workshops, a national communications network (NSBENET), two national magazines (NSBE Magazine, NSBE Bridge), an internal newsletter, a professional newsletter (The Career Engineer, a supplement in the NSBE Magazine), resume books, career fairs, awards, banquets and an annual national convention.

The History of NSBE
In 1971, two Purdue undergraduate students, Edward Barnette (now deceased) and Fred Cooper approached the dean of engineering at Purdue University with the concept of starting the Black Society of Engineers (BSE). They wanted to establish a student organization to help improve the recruitment and retention of black engineering students. In the late 1960's, a devastating 80 percent of the black freshmen entering the engineering program dropped out. The dean agreed to the idea and assigned the only black faculty member on staff, Arthur J. Bond, as advisor…

To view more NSBE history, click here.

View NSBE's Profile Series, narrated by actor Lou Gossett, Jr.