Executive Director's Message

ASEE is doing well. Membership has steadily increased with a current total of 9,600 Professional Members. ASEE’s Annual Conference and Exposition, which is the largest annual gathering of engineering educators in the world, was held in June in Hawaii, and was well attended by ASEE members and families. At the Annual Awards Banquet, a highlight conference event, James Melsa, Dean Emeritus, Iowa State University, was inaugurated as ASEE’s 2007-2008 President.

ASEE’s international activities have expanded with notable success, and we now have 664 Global Members. The 5th Global Colloquium in Brazil exceeded expectations and drew 450 representatives from 34 countries. The 6th Global Colloquium will take place this year in October in Istanbul. Prior to the Global Colloquium, the International Federation of Engineering’s Education Societies will hold its first Global Summit on Engineering Education at Bosphorus University.

ASEE participated in an exciting Indo/US collaborative for Engineering Education in India, a 2-forum series to bring US and Indian representatives together to discuss collaborative activities. In June, a group of 20 US engineering education leaders met with the President of India in New Delhi and went to the Infosys campus in Mysore to view first-hand a fine display of Indian technology. A second forum will be held at the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C., in August.

ASEE’s publications continue to please our members with their award-winning quality. Prism Magazine is vibrant with eye-catching graphics and stories consistent with current news and cutting edge technology. Last year this favorite member benefit took 15 awards for editorial content and design. ASEE’s scholarly Journal of Engineering Education with its heightened focus on research has enjoyed growth of both interest and subscription. ASEE’s much anticipated electronic publication, Advances in Engineering Education, is due to launch online in August. AEE will seek to disseminate significant proven innovations in engineering education practice, especially those best presented through creative multimedia.

ASEE’s K-12 engineering activities continue to expand. Our K-12 publication, Engineering, Go For It! has been a great success, and a third edition will be published this fall. At the Annual Conference, we held a fourth successful Workshop on K-12 Engineering Education. I believe President Jim Melsa will use this outreach model at ASEE section meetings.

ASEE’s good financial health is derived, in part, through partnership with the Federal Government. We’ve administered numerous education-related programs since 1963. Our current Government Project portfolio includes two NSF and seven DoD programs. The SMART Program, which encourages progression from scholarship sponsorship to full employment with the Defense Department is ASEE’s newest DoD program. By successfully administering such Government programs, ASEE receives substantial revenue which is employed to enhance services for ASEE members.

ASEE’s primary goal is, and has always been, service to its members. While we look for ways to attract new members, we remain committed to keeping our valued members through augmented services. Correspondingly, ASEE’s members have demonstrated loyalty and unflagging support. I believe everyone at ASEE – members, volunteers, and staff – is committed to ASEE’s vision to promote excellence in engineering and engineering technology education. We can be proud of the advances achieved through our joint efforts.

Frank L. Huband
f.huband@asee.org