From the Desk of Irving Pressley McPhail

President and Chief Executive Officer

Welcome to the President’s Corner. After an evaluation of NACME’s Websites and their functions, we recognized the need for a platform where I can share information on a regular basis. The items posted in this section will include updates on NACME’s programs, media placements, and other pertinent information on NACME’s accomplishments. We believe the information in this section will provide a clearer picture of the energy and great work currently underway at NACME.

Congratulations Class of 2010

On behalf of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME), I would like to congratulate the Class of 2010 on its hard work and wonderful accomplishments. We are confident that you will all go on to achieve great things in your careers and set examples that will inspire countless others in their educational and professional pursuits.

This year, I was honored with the opportunity to address the graduating class from Polytechnic Institute of New York University during their commencement ceremony. Standing on that podium inside the famous Radio City Music Hall, I could not help but be inspired by the diversity of the student body and the potential for true greatness among them and indeed, among all of NACME’s scholars.

All NACME scholars come from different backgrounds but all have several key traits in common including ambition, diligence, discipline and a desire to change the world we live in. As I told the graduates from NYU-Poly, the Class of 2010 has been ably prepared to deal with the future of cities, managing technology and financial risk, improving healthcare, designing more efficient and secure information technology, and cleaning up the environment.

Regardless of where your future endeavors carry you from this point, I will give you the same challenge I gave the students from NYU-Poly, I urge you to embrace diversity and champion equity. Do not be afraid to take risks. Learn and appreciate the value of excellence, perseverance, boldness and optimism. Welcome challenges and take deliberate steps to overcome boundaries. Keep a positive and constructive set of attitudes.

From all of us here at NACME, we wish you all the best of luck and success.

Policy and Advocacy

May 20, 2010— I met with Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE), in his Washington, D.C., office. I have been communicating with Sen. Kaufman for the past two years as he has taken a leadership role in advancing STEM education. His office finally responded to my letter –drafted by Brenda Krulik--praising his speech on the Senate floor calling for an increase in the number of graduates from the nation’s engineering schools, a step he considers to be critical in maintaining America’s preeminence in the global economy.

May 13, 2010— I participated in a call with the U.S. Department of State. The purpose of the call was to discuss the evolving nature of the Science and Technology Adviser and to seek insights on the selection of the next person in that role.

April 12, 2010— I presented on a panel, STEM Education: What Works—What We Need, at the National Capitol Summit 2010 in Washington, DC. NACME co-sponsored the summit with the Educational Policy Institute. My comments focused on the dramatic changes in the U.S. demographic situation, NACME’s pre-engineering strategy, and the calls to action issued at the May 2008 NACME National Symposium.

I have been appointed by Dr. Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering [NAE], and member, NACME Board of Directors, to serve on the newly formed NAE Committee on Changing the Conversation: From Research to Action. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, has three components: developing an online “toolkit” to assist the engineering community in propagating common, effective messages; convening a high-level workshop to define messaging activities; and promulgating an action plan.

March 12, 2010— We have retained the services of MWW Group to represent NACME in Washington, DC, including collaborating with NACME on drafting a specific Annual Federal Agenda and expanding NACME’s presence with the Federal Agencies. Our long-term objective is to become top-of-mind and guaranteed a seat at the table where discussions and decisions about diversity with equity in STEM education and the workforce are made.

 February 22, 2010— I met with EMC Information Infrastructure and Cloud Services, EMC Corporation; and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy representatives. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the NACME mission and strategy. Follow-up teleconferences with other representative from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy have occurred.

Institutional Advancement

This year, NACME launched its Corporate Council . The Corporate Council provides a way to more fully engage donors in NACME’s work. Upcoming events for Corporate Council members include a teleconference with EMC’s President and Chief Operating Officer, EMC Information Infrastructure and Cloud Service; and an invitation to the NACME board dinner and reception in Washington, DC.

Despite the challenging economic climate, NACME is making progress in increasing its corporate, foundation and individual support. NACME’s board members are reaching out to corporate contacts in order to secure new board members. We are optimistic that discussions underway with several major corporations will have positive outcomes.

We are pleased to welcome new corporate donors, including Emerson, Jacobs Engineering, Research In Motion, Rockwell Collins, Craigslist and Skanska .

Program Initiatives

February 26, 2010— Charlotte, N.C. is home to four Academies of Engineering (AOEs) with two more in the candidacy process. I requested a Roundtable Discussion with leaders in STEM education and the workforce to discuss the possibility of a K-20 Pathway to Engineering for Charlotte, with a focus on underrepresented minorities and women, as a major component of the school district’s application for i3 funds from the U.S. Department of Education. Officials from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Central Piedmont Community College, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, AT&T, and Fluor Corporation gathered for a productive visioning session. A highlight of the day was the opportunity for me to meet a distinguished NACME Scholar Alumna, Kimberly Weathers, a chemical engineer at Fluor Corporation in Charlotte.

February 2, 2010— I was pleased to participate with AT&T, AT&T Foundation, and NACME Staff in a site visit to Sam Houston High School in San Antonio, Texas.

NACME, AT&T, and the AT&T Foundation have partnered in the successful start-up of six new AOEs. With the generous support of a two-year grant of $200, 000, teachers and counselors from participating schools attended teacher training activities through the Year of Planning [YOP] component of the National Academy Foundation [NAF]. The following schools engaged in a year-long self assessment and planning process to develop an implementation plan for their AOE:

·         Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, Texas

·         Sarah T. Reed Senior High School, New Orleans, La.

·         Hartford Public High School, Hartford, Conn.

·         Hialeah Gardens Senior High School, Hialeah Gardens, Fla.

·         Miami Sunset Senior High School, Miami, Fla.

·         North Miami Senior High School, Miami, Fla.

AT&T employees support, in addition to the above six AOEs, local Advisory Boards in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Charlotte, N.C.

Additional site visits have been completed at Sarah T. Reed Senior High School and Hartford Public High School. In each case, the enthusiasm of students, faculty, staff, administrators and corporate partners is palpable and quite encouraging.

Events Attended and Speaking Engagements

July 14, 2010

Confronting the “New” American Dilemma: The Role of Public Universities, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence, 2010 Summer Meeting, Denver, CO.

May 18, 2010

I delivered the commencement speech and was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree during Polytechnic Institute of New York University’s 155th Commencement. The graduation ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall.

April 21-22, 2010

I made a site visit to Prairie View A&M University [PVAMU]—one of NACME’s 50 partner universities—as part of my work with the national Achieving the Dream initiative. I have been working with PVAMU for the past four years to develop strategies for improving student success.

April 19-20, 2010

I attended the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation [SME/EF] board of directors meeting in St. Louis, MO. I chair the Policy Committee for SME/EF.

March 19, 2010

I attended the 2010 Spring Conference of the National Council on Black American Affairs/Northeast Region at Essex County Community College in Newark, N.J. I am a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

March 18, 2010

Aileen Walter, Vice President for University Programs; Dorien Corbin, Manager of Annual Gifts; and I attended the exclusive Colonel Willard T. Chevalier Society Induction Dinner. The Chevalier Society recognizes donors who have contributed $1.0 million or above to Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

March 10, 2010

I chaired the inaugural meeting of the Policy Committee of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers/Education Foundation (SME/EF). I joined the SME/EF board of directors in October 2009. SME/EF recently awarded NACME a $10, 000 grant to create several NACME/SME/EF Scholarships in Manufacturing Engineering at a subset of NACME partner universities.

February 23, 2010

NACME hosted the Steering Committee Meeting for the AOE partnership.

February 23, 2010

I met with NACME Scholars and administrators at Polytechnic Institute of New York University. Later that evening I attended a reception sponsored by Blacks in Energy. It was my pleasure to meet Craig Ivey, the newly appointed president of Consolidated Edison Company of New York. Consolidated Edison has been an integral part of the family of NACME board companies for many years.

February 18, 2010

I was honored to serve as the Keynote Speaker for the 2010 Black History Month Celebration for Northrop Grumman Corporation in Baltimore, MD. Northrop Grumman Corporation and the Northrop Grumman Foundation have been strong supporters of NACME since 1995.

Media

Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology features NACME in “Options” section, Summer/Fall 2010 edition.

UTEP Announces Top 10 Graduating Seniors, The El Paso Times, May 7, 2010. NACME scholar Sylvia Natividad, a metallurgical and materials engineering major is named among the distinguished graduates.

Black Enterprise blogger Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr. uses NACME statistics to build his argument in his entry titled, “Why We Must Embrace STEM Education.”

Black Enterprise April 15, 2010 cover story, “The Transformers,” refers to NACME as one of the organizations that are independently pushing to increase the annual number of underrepresented minorities earning a bachelor’s degree in STEM.

NACME provides scholarships and resources for underrepresented students, Indian Country Today, Wednesday, April 14, 2010, pp. 9-10.

The New York Times, Letter to the editor in response to the March 22, 2010 article, “Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences.”

Interview on Satellite Radio’s, The Young Turks  Show, to discuss NACME and U.S. competitiveness  in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, March 25, 2010.

Mentoring is Key to Building a Diverse Workforce, Winds of Change, Winter 2010, p. 80.

NACME Launches Community College Plan, PE: The Magazine for Professional Engineers, December 2009, p. 14.

NACME Gala in NYC, Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Minority College Issue, Winter 2009/Spring 2010, p. 92.

NACME Celebrates its Thirty-Fifth Year, Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, December 2009/January 2010, p. 84.

NACME President and CEO Named to SME Education Foundation Board, Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, December 2009/January 2010, p. 12.

New Minority Engineering Leader Stresses K-12 Exposure to Careers, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, November 4, 2009.

Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure Decisions, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Autumn 2009, p. 106.