About NAMEPA

TRAINING EDUCATORS

NAMEPA is a platform for identifying best practices among university programs in the diversity space. Through this platform, training opportunities are available for university administrators, K-12 students, teachers and counselors, new and seasoned MEP directors, and industry professionals who are committed to increasing diversity in the STEM fields. Through sharing of ideas, information and best practices, we prepare and invigorate individuals and institutions to be more effective in their mission to graduate, employ, and advance world-class engineers and leaders.

 

SUPPORTING STUDENTS

By supporting those who directly touch the lives of thousands of engineering students, and awarding scholarships to deserving recipients each year, NAMEPA helps ensure the entire student population within our membership has access to the information, services, and tools NAMEPA provides to pursue the lucrative field of engineering. We expose students to scholarship opportunities, develop replicable programs for outreach, recruitment, retention, graduation, and academic excellence, and we encourage under-represented engineering students to become active in student organizations and develop leadership skills. We also employ students in our offices through work study initiatives, tutors, research opportunities, and meaningful engineering projects and program development to augment their professional development.

 

CONNECTING THE DOTS IN K-12 PIPELINE INITIATIVES

NAMEPA embraces the collective work of organizations that focus on under-represented student success in engineering. Although we have a core focus on Native American, African American, Hispanic American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander students, our programs are open to all students that desire to utilize our services. We stress organizational excellence within our institutions and where staffing and funding levels permit, we partner with other organizational efforts to service middle and high school students that have been exposed to STEM opportunities through efforts such as NSBE Jr. Chapters, Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) participants, SHPE Jr. chapter members, and others by inviting them to participate in Summer Engineering Residential Programs conducted at major research institutions across the nation.

 

CONNECTING THE DOTS WITH STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

We typically advise and/or offer program and funding support to student organizations within our institutions. Organizational support includes but is not limited to the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Latinos in Science and Engineers (MAES), and the American Indian Society of Engineers and Scientists (AISES). As part of student advising, we are able to provide actionable metrics to student organizations to assist them in meeting retention initiatives, both as it relates to organizational membership, retention in engineering programs and academic success strategies. We work collaboratively with American Society of Engineering Educators (ASEE), The National GEM Consortium, The National Action Committee for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), the Women in Engineering Programs (WIEP) and the Women in Engineering Proactive Network (WEPAN).

 

SERVING COMPANIES

Through its members at nearly 100 academic institutions NAMEPA has the unique opportunity to provide partner corporations with direct access to highly qualified engineering students of color, many of which are not members of student organizations. Although we do not compete with existing job fair and banquet events, by tapping into the NAMEPA network, partner corporations can target top minority talent for relationship building, corporate grooming, and developing successful transition programs to bridge the gap from college into the professional workforce.

 

NAMEPA COUNTS

Through its member institutions NAMEPA is able to provide institutional and national metrics on outreach, recruitment, retention, and graduation metrics for the programs that we execute annually. We draw from national educational data to develop intervention strategies to increase the flow of elementary, middle and high school students into STEM fields.

 

SERVING ACADEMIA THROUGH SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

NAMEPA applauds and celebrates the scholarly research of experts in the field of diversity and inclusion and strives to bring this information to our membership and our leadership to increase our knowledge base and bring thought leadership to the work that we do. We embrace the body of Chief Diversity Officers and other leaders in the Division of Diversity and Inclusion across the nation as we undertake the continued challenges in producing a diverse and inclusive workforce.