ARCHIVES OF LEAD STORIES
March 24, 2005
National organization engineers career paths for
black students
Yawu Miller
Engineering and community activism aren’t often thought
of as serendipitous fields. The cold, rational scientist and the
passionate advocate for social justice usually inhabit different
spheres.
In his former life Carl Mack had the best of both worlds, working
as a mechanical engineer for King’s County in Washington
state and serving as president of the Seattle/King County NAACP
branch.
In his current role as executive director of the National Society
of Black Engineers, however, Mack has managed to combine both
worlds in one job.
“I’m a most blessed individual,” he says.
Mack is now the head of a 15,000-member organization dedicated
to bringing African Americans into the engineering field and fighting
for their advancement.
As stated in its mission statement, NSBE’s goal is to “increase
the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel
academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the
community.”
The 31-year-old organization was originally founded by six Purdue
University students who were concerned that 80 percent of the
black engineering majors at that school were dropping out of the
program before completing it. The students reached out to black
students at other universities across the country and in 1974
held their first national conference.
While initially the organization focused on retention,
in 1988, it began efforts to expand the ranks of students opting
into the engineering field with a Pre-College Initiative aimed
at middle and high school students.
Since then, the organization has grown from 5,000 members to 15,000
members.
“We’re the largest student-run organization in the
world,” Mack notes.
When Mack interviewed for the job, it was before a committee of
30 students, with whom he also negotiated his salary and benefits.
Although Mack heads an office of 25 people, he says it’s
the students who chart the path and policies of the organization.
“We take our marching orders from students all over the
country,” he said.
This week’s convention, held at the Hynes Convention Center,
includes personal and professional workshops, guest speakers from
corporations and conferences for pre-college students, undergraduates,
graduate students and professionals. More than 10,000 students
are expected to attend the organization’s career fair, which
includes dozens of exhibitors ranging from Harley Davidson to
the Central Intelligence Agency.
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