IDEA Council
ABET staff, volunteers and leadership are committed to global leadership in STEM education, incorporating the highest standards of professional equality and respect for everyone.
This page includes information and resources related to ABET’s initiatives in this important area.
ABET’s IDEA Advisory Council
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the IDEA Council promotes collaboration within ABET, its activities, its volunteer base, and its accredited programs.
IDEA Dynamic Framework
Approved by the ABET Board of Directors
ABET is committed to IDEA within ABET, its activities, its volunteer base, staff, operations and its accredited programs. To advance this commitment, ABET adopted the concept of a dynamic framework (i.e., evolving, living document) that outlines a set of recommended goals and examples of suggested strategies, along with potential metric areas to facilitate measurement of progress and assignment of accountability for ensuring that inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible strategies are implemented, and goals are achieved. The overarching goal across all areas is to ensure representation, fairness, participation, and engagement across ABET.
Statements on IDEA
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ABET Statement of Support for Afghan Women and Girls
January 10, 2023
ABET is an advocate for inclusive and equitable education for all, and we are deeply troubled by the Taliban’s recent actions in Afghanistan to ban women from attending universities and girls from attending secondary school. This action violates a basic premise of Article 26 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to education.
STEM professionals play a critical role in developing solutions to make the world a better place — one that is safer, more efficient and more sustainable. Our workforce must be comprised of people from diverse backgrounds, perspectives and personal experiences. The education of women and girls is essential to ensuring their own futures and the prosperity of their families, as well as the future of our communities and, ultimately, our planet.
ABET supports gender equity in education and in the STEM fields unequivocally, and we fully support the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls to receive access to quality education.
Big 10+ Universities Deans of Engineering Letter of Support
On March 31, 2021, we received a letter of support from the Big 10+ Universities Deans of Engineering regarding the incorporation of diversity, equity and inclusion principles into ABET’s General Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs.
Recent News
2021 ABET Symposium IDEA Session Recordings
Barriers to Implementing IDE in the Workplace: Raising Awareness of Educators and Students
Panelists discuss existing and emerging issues that are, or may become, barriers to the implementation of IDEA in the workplace environment, as well as approaches to raise awareness of such challenges in preparing graduates to enter the workforce.
Encouraging the Retention of Women in Engineering
Despite the increasing efforts to keep young women interested in STEM before college, once there, a sizeable number of them will still end up leaving engineering majors for non-STEM related fields. This session discusses a variety of possible approaches for the retention of women in engineering and explores the outcomes and impact of those programs.
Evolving Global IDE Landscape in the Workplace and Workforce: Impact on Student Preparation
Panelists describe the developing landscape with respect to IDEA in the workplace and workforce in their regions of the world, as well as educational responses to a changing workplace environment.
Additional Resources
AIChE is committed to nurturing an inclusive, respectful and welcoming environment where people of all backgrounds and identities are valued. This page includes events, resources and more.
ASCE’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion page includes news and resources such as videos, reports and articles, as well as strategic partners and alliances and more.
ASABE has a history of being a diverse and strong organization. Diversity enriches and builds upon the educational experience and improves the practice of engineering.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ page includes a podcast, videos, statements from the CEO and information about the Women in Standards & Certification (WiSC) initiative.
ASEE’s Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion site offers articles, newsletters and reports, session materials, workshops, awards information and more.
The American Welding Society’s initiatives include the society’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the AWS Future Leaders Program.
The BME Organizations Leading Diversity (BOLD) initiative coordinates a national, BME community response to the longstanding racism in our nation.
The Construction Management Association of America provides a statement of values, policy framework, code of professional conduct and a committee on diversity, equity & inclusion.
IEEE resources and guidelines include a code of ethics, virtual user experience lab accessibility tools, best practice videos, IEEE society initiatives and more.
IISE values and celebrates the diversity of participants in the Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) profession worldwide and the stakeholders who benefit from the contributions of these professionals.
The National Society of Professional Engineers offers articles, a list of activities and interviews with members of the NSPE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Diversity & Inclusion Committee works to advance the society’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through advocacy, collaboration and education.
SPIE provides news and events, community resources, information about Women in Optics, a best practices toolkit and more.
The Society of Women Engineers is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. SWE offers a variety of resources, such as workbooks, card decks and eLearning courses.
The TMS Diversity & Inclusion Committee seeks to advance TMS’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the minerals, metals and materials science and engineering fields.
WEPAN is the nation’s first network dedicated to advancing cultures of inclusion and diversity in engineering higher education and workplaces. This site offers culture-transforming projects and professional development.