National Society of Black Engineers is the largest student run organization in the nation with over 15,000 members. It began at Purdue University in April of 1976. NSBE was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the State of Texas. NSBE now is comprised of more than 270 chapters on college and university campuses, 75 Alumni Extension chapters nationwide and 75 Pre-College chapters. These chapters are geographically divided into six regions.

The mission of the organization is to "increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers to excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community." National Society of Black Engineers was founded on the Rensselaer Campus in 1979 by a group of students. The first president of the organization was William Burton who now works for the Nuclear Regulatory Committee in Washington, DC. The RPI chapter has grown from 2 members in 1979 to 115 members this past year. During the 2001-2002 term the RPI chapter won the distinguished honor of National Large Chapter of the Year as well as Achievers Plus Chapter of the Year for the excellent academic performance shown by our membership.

In order to focus on our mission, seven key areas were identified to serve as a roadmap for our success. These include Academic Excellence, Technical Excellence, Leadership, Communications, Financial Vitality, Cultural and Community awareness, and Continuous Education and Career Access. As a chapter we offer programs in each one of these areas that afford our members opportunities to develop academically, socially, and professionally. We invite you to learn more about these programs, and would like to thank you for your continued support for our career fair and other programs. We wish you the best from our entire chapter.

For more information on NSBE, please visit http://nsbe.rpi.edu.