Susan Conry has been honored for her contributions to computer science and engineering accreditation, for leadership in the development of the Computing Sciences Accreditation Commission (CSAC) of the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board (now CSAB, Inc.), and for leadership in the integration of ABET and CSAB.  Conry is currently representing CSAB on the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET and serving on the EAC criteria committee.

Larry Kaye has been honored for his dedication, leadership, and commitment to ABET, which has resulted in continuous improvement and innovation in the accreditation process. He is currently representing the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) on the ABET Board of Directors and chairing the Advisory Committee for ABET’s Volunteer Participation Project.

Larry Nixon has been honored for his stalwart support of excellence in engineering education and its integration into professional engineering practice.  He was the 2002-2003 ABET President and has served on the ABET Board of Directors representing the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

Stuart Zweben has been honored for his leadership and selfless contributions to the computing discipline as a pioneer and faithful proponent of accreditation for computing programs.  He helped to launch CSAB in the mid-1980s and served as its fourth President from 1989 to 1991.  Since CSAB’s integration into ABET, Zweben has served on the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) Executive Committee and currently is CAC’s Vice Chair for Operations.

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ABET, Inc., the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology, is a federation of 28 professional and technical societies representing these fields. Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for over 70 years. ABET currently accredits some 2,700 programs at over 550 colleges and universities nationwide. Over 1,500 dedicated volunteers participate annually in ABET activities. ABET also provides leadership internationally through agreements such as the Washington Accord, and offers educational credentials evaluation services through ECEI to those educated abroad. ABET is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2004

Baltimore, MD – ABET, Inc., one of the oldest and most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., is pleased to announce that Lee W. Saperstein, Ph.D., has been honored with the Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award, the organization’s highest honor. The Grinter Award was presented to Saperstein at the 2004 ABET Annual Meeting, Competing in a Diverse World, held October 28-29 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was selected to receive this honor by the ABET Board of Directors for his outstanding leadership in the development of governance documents that reflect ABET’s vision and mission, his contribution to ABET’s strategic planning, and his leadership in the criteria reform that led to ABET’s “engineering topics” criteria, a pre-EC2000 move toward outcomes assessment. Saperstein is Dean Emeritus of the School of Mines and Metallurgy at the University of Missouri-Rolla and an active member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME-AIME).

Saperstein served as ABET President in 1999-2000 and is now completing his 23rd year of service to the organization. He has been a member of the ABET Board of Directors representing SME-AIME, as well as Secretary, President, and Past President of the Board. He also served as Chair of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) in 1989-90. As an EAC commissioner, he led evaluation teams to 13 universities, and as a commission officer he edited the reports of 75 more. As Chair, he dealt with 96 institutions. Prior to being EAC Chair, Saperstein chaired the EAC Criteria Committee when it devised the concept of “engineering topics” and wrote the first references to “program objectives” and “outcome assessments.” A member of ABET’s Strategic Planning Committee, he was named a Fellow of ABET. He most recently served as Chair of the ad hoc ABET Task Force on Governance, which has delivered a new Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules of Procedure to ABET. These governance documents position ABET to realize its vision, now and throughout the 21st century.

Linton E. Grinter received the first Distinguished Service Award from ABET’s predecessor, the Engineers’ Council for Professional Development (ECPD), in 1972. Grinter showed an outstanding record of leadership within the engineering community and ECPD, and the Board Executive Committee that year not only gave the new award to Grinter but decided to call it the Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award. Among Grinter’s legacy are three reports that have had major effects on engineering education: (1) the 1945 Manual of Graduate Study in Engineering; (2) the groundbreaking 1955 Report of the Committee on Evaluation of Engineering Education, now known as “The Grinter Report” - a major work in the development of engineering curricula that outlines specific objectives for both the technical and humanities areas of study necessary for future engineers; and (3) the 1972 Report on Engineering Technology Education. Grinter’s powerful insight into the future of the engineering profession inspired and impacted not only the ECPD of yesteryear, but the ABET of today.

Recipients of the Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award, such as Lee Saperstein, are those ABET volunteers who follow in Grinter’s footsteps and surpass even the highest service expectations of the organization.

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ABET, Inc., the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology, is a federation of 30 professional and technical societies representing these fields. Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for over 70 years. ABET currently accredits some 2,600 programs at over 550 colleges and universities nationwide. Over 1,500 dedicated volunteers participate annually in ABET activities. ABET also provides leadership internationally through agreements such as the Washington Accord, and offers educational credentials evaluation services through ECEI to those educated abroad. ABET is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2004

Baltimore, MD – ABET, Inc., the recognized accrediting body for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology, has named the 2004 recipients of the Fellow of ABET Award: Theodore A. Bickart, Ph.D., President Emeritus of the Colorado School of Mines; David Hornbeck, Ph.D., P.E., P.S., Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southern Polytechnic State University and Adjunct Accreditation Director for Technology at ABET; and C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni, P.E., Chairman of Pennoni Associates, Consulting Engineers. The Fellow Award was presented to the recipients at Competing in a Diverse World, the 2004 ABET Annual Meeting, held October 28-29 in Nashville, Tennessee. The ABET Fellow Award is presented annually to recognize those individuals who have given sustained quality service to the ABET-related professions, in general, and to education within the ABET disciplines, in particular, through the activities of ABET.

Theodore Bickart has been honored for his leadership within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for accreditation activities, for his contributions to the integration of computing programs into ABET, and for his lengthy service as a program evaluator and member of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). Bickart is currently an alternate member of the EAC and active in ABET’s international activities as a program evaluator.

David Hornbeck has been honored for his contributions to the development of performance-based criteria for technology programs, for his guidance on the practical issues for successful implementation of Technology Criteria 2000 (TC2K), and for his outstanding leadership of the emergent, cross-commission ABET Accreditation Council. As a program evaluator and Technology Accreditation Commission member, officer, and Chair, representing the American Society of Civil Engineers, Hornbeck’s experience with ABET spans 21 years.

Chuck Pennoni has been honored for his extraordinary leadership in advancing the ABET vision of assuring quality and stimulating innovation in education and for his exemplary service as an ambassador to the industry and practice communities. Pennoni served as ABET President in 1998-1999 and is currently a member of ABET’s Industry Advisory Council.

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ABET, Inc., the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology, is a federation of 30 professional and technical societies representing these fields. Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for over 70 years. ABET currently accredits some 2,600 programs at over 550 colleges and universities nationwide. Over 1,500 dedicated volunteers participate annually in ABET activities. ABET also provides leadership internationally through agreements such as the Washington Accord, and offers educational credentials evaluation services through ECEI to those educated abroad. ABET is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2003

Baltimore, MD - ABET, Inc., the accreditation body dedicated to ensuring quality in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology education, has named the recipient of its 2003 ABET Fellow Award: E. Franklin (Frank) Hart, P.E., Dean of the School of Engineering Technology and Computer Science at Bluefield State College. The Fellow Award was presented to Hart at ABET’s 71^st Annual Meeting, held October 30-31 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The ABET Fellow Award is presented annually to recognize those individuals who have given sustained quality service to the ABET-related professions, in general, and to education within the ABET disciplines, in particular, through the activities of ABET.

Frank Hart has been honored as a Fellow of ABET for his visionary leadership and service through the implementation and promotion of performance-based criteria for the engineering technology community. Hart has served ABET as an ASCE program evaluator since 1979, represented ASCE on TAC for five years, and then served as Chair of TAC in 2000-2001. While on TAC, he was instrumental in implementing TC2K (outcomes-based) evaluation visits, electronics editing of statements, and mentoring. He currently serves on ABET’s International Activities Committee, Governance Task Force, and as a facilitator for the Technological Education Initiative (TEI).

Hart received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. He began his academic career at Bluefield State College as an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering Technology and Computer Science and now serves as the Dean of the School of Engineering Technology and Computer Science. Prior to joining Bluefield State College, he was employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in different positions involving surveying and mapping. During his tenure at Bluefield State College, he has served as Director of Institutional Research, Director of Admissions, Director of Financial Aid, and Registrar. His activities in ACSM include a three-year term as President of the International Society for Mine Surveying. Hart is a licensed professional engineer and professional surveyor.

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ABET Honors L.S. “Skip” Fletcher for Distinguished Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2002

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2002

Pittsburgh, PA - Two of ABET, Inc.’s most notable volunteers were honored today for their major contributions to the development of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000), ABET’s revolutionary outcomes-based evaluation criteria that has changed the nature of engineering education and accreditation. Charles M. Vest, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Bruce C. Coles, President and CEO of MACTEC Holdings, Inc., and MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc., were presented the ABET President’s Award by 2001-2002 ABET President Jerry R. Yeargan at the conclusion of the keynote session at ABET’s 70^th Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Coles delivered the Annual Meeting’s keynote address. Regrettably, Vest accepted the award in absentia. The inscription on the 2002 President’s Award reads, “For your bold leadership of and unflagging commitment to The Vision for Change and its powerful impact on the quality of engineering education.”

Bruce C. Coles has played an integral role in ABET’s development of outcomes-based accreditation criteria. In 1997, he represented the interests of industry as he served as a member of ABET’s Accreditation Process Review Committee and Chair of the Industry Advisory Council. Coles also acted as an official observer on the EC2000 Pilot Study. He was one of the four original signers of The Vision for Change, the critical document whose contents helped spur ABET’s accreditation reform movement. In his keynote address, Coles reiterated the significance of this movement and its impact on the future of the engineering profession.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2002

Pittsburgh, PA - James A. Oppold received a posthumous recognition award from ABET, Inc., at the accrediting organization’s 70^th Annual Meeting. The award, a crystal bowl inscribed in his honor, was presented to his wife, Mary Ann Oppold, at the Annual ABET Awards Reception and Banquet. This special award recognizes Oppold’s thoughtful contributions to ABET strategic planning, particularly in realizing his vision of and commitment to the integration of applied science education as a key component of ABET's mission. Oppold was a strong advocate of applied science education and worked hard to see that it was made one of ABET’s most important priorities.

Oppold was a dedicated ABET volunteer. He served as Chair of the Related Accreditation Commission (now the Applied Science Accreditation Commission) and represented the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), where he was Member Emeritus, on the ABET Board of Directors. In 1996-1997, Oppold was a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, the group responsible for formulating ABET’s current Vision and Mission statements. While on this committee, he was instrumental in instituting the ABET paradigm shift from Related Engineering accreditation to Applied Science accreditation. Oppold also played a major role in integrating the accreditation processes of ASSE with those of ABET, when the organization began accrediting safety programs in 1988. In addition, he served on several other important ABET committees, including the Task Group on ABET International Activities, the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards, and the Educational Policy Committee.

Oppold served as Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the state of North Carolina before retiring in 1992. He also worked for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, GA; the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, WV; and the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga, TN, and Florence, AL. In addition, he was a member of the American Industrial Health Association (AIHA) and the Health Physics Society (HPS). Oppold passed away in April of 2002.

Recently, the ASSE Foundation established the James A. Oppold Accreditation Fund, which will provide financial assistance to institutions seeking accreditation of their safety and health programs by ABET. This accreditation fund will provide financial assistance to colleges, universities, and other institutions that are applying for ABET accreditation of occupational safety, health, and environmental programs, at either the graduate or undergraduate levels.