Moving in the Right Direction

Is ASEE an innovative nonprofit or does it operate the way many nonprofits do-by simply servicing its existing members, publishing a magazine and holding an annual conference? I am pleased to report that ASEE goes well beyond the norm. One of the reasons our organization is so successful is its ability to create new products that help engineering educators address the serious issues facing the profession.

Let's look at one of the discipline's most pressing issues: how to get more children Into the engineering pipeline. In 2003, ASEE created "Engineering, Go for It," an award-winning magazine aimed at getting high school kids excited about engineering. With a strong emphasis on diversity, the magazine aims to make engineering exciting and fun through lively writing and bright and exciting pictures and graphics. ASEE came up with a unique business model that enabled it to distribute the magazine across the country through its membership of engineering deans. The result: "Engineering, Go for It" is getting ready for its third printing, and by the end of this year, there will be more than 1 million copies in print.

ASEE also embarked on a well-crafted and innovative approach to developing worldwide network connections through its global online membership program and international colloquium. Five years ago, ASEE had 262 global online members; today, thanks to the success of several recent international meetings and the creation of the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), ASEE has become a truly global organization with 674 global online members from 69 countries.

Companies that know how to use the power of technology and develop innovative solutions often surpass their competitors In the global marketplace. While ASEE is not a company, we do face competition in the projects area from a variety of organizations that also want the government's business. Our ability to use technology by automating highly labor-intensive activities has enabled ASEE to win a number of prestigious contracts, such as the NSF, NDSEG and SMART fellowship awards. -DW

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