USBE Magazine List Reveals Great Education Partners of HBCU Engineering

BALTIMORE - May 24, 2017 - PRLog -- Since 2003, deans of historically black college and university (HBCU) engineering programs, and the Advancing Minorities' Interest in Engineering (AMIE) corporate-academic alliance, have taken part in Career Communications Group's Top Supporters of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Engineering Schools Survey, which is conducted annually by USBE magazine.

Top Supporters are companies and government agencies considered most supportive of HBCU engineering programs and contribute to the institutional missions of these schools.

While making their decision, HBCU Engineering deans consider support for infrastructure modernization and enhancement, research, participation on advisory councils, faculty development opportunities, scholarships, student projects, stipends, internship and co-op opportunities, and job offers related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

"People want to work for an employer that is committed to their community," explained Career Communications Group Chief Content Officer and Publisher Dr. Tyrone Taborn. "The list is important because, for many years, corporate America's relationship with HBCUs and non-HBCUs has not been equitable. Corporate execs tend to support the college they came from. If you don't have HBCU graduates in your executive ranks, you don't think about black colleges. The total amount of corporate support black schools receive does not reflect the level of services they provide," Dr. Taborn said.

To mark the 15th year of the Top Supporters survey,   private and government supporters have been ranked in five hierarchies based on the number of survey mentions since 2003.

"2017 will mark the fifteenth year of the Top Supporters list," said Rayondon Kennedy, managing editor for Career Communications Group. "There are companies on this list that have been supporting HBCUs every one of those years so we wanted to do something special, and provide an All-Time list. The ranking gives these companies an opportunity to show how committed they are to supporting the future of engineering at HBCUs," he said.

The 15 HBCUs invited to participate in the 2017 survey are: Alabama A&M University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Norfolk State University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University and A&M College, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, University of the District of Columbia, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Virginia State University.  These 15 schools produce 33 percent of America's Black engineers.

"There is a critical need to increase the number of students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in the United States," said Veronica Nelson, appointed executive director of AMIE in March 2017.    "The US population demographics are becoming more diverse.  In order to increase the pipeline, we must increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing and successfully completing a degree in STEM.

"Our HBCUs are a rich resource for this heavily sought after talent," Ms. Nelson added. "They produce nearly 30 percent of all African American engineers in the country and they provide high-quality graduates who are prepared to produce innovative solutions for the most challenging problems.    HBCUs play a key role in generating the knowledge, innovation and diverse talent required to grow our businesses and maintain/increase our global competitiveness," she said.

 "More and more, businesses are looking for opportunities that will give them an edge over the competition. They see the both majority and minority universities as potential ecosystems," said Dr. McCrary, vice president of research at Morgan State University.

USBE&IT magazine will salute the top corporate and government agencies in the Deans' Edition of USBE magazine in June 2017. AMIE-a coalition of corporations, government agencies, and ABET-accredited HBCU engineering schools- will be co-hosting the award ceremony with Career Communications Group (CCG) at the BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference, February 8-10, 2018, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.

For 2017, there are 394 employers in USBE magazine's All-Time Top Supporter ranking system, which features five tiers based on how many times the organization has appeared on the list:  Diamond (14 annual appearances), Platinum (13-9), Gold (8-6), Silver (5-3), and Bronze (2-1).

To view the full list, please visit http://topsupporterslist.com