2015 ABET Symposium

ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. ABET accredits over 3,400 programs at nearly 700 colleges and universities in 28 countries. ABET provides specialized, programmatic accreditation that evaluates an individual program of study, rather than evaluating an institution as a whole.

2015 ABET Symposium
Atlanta, GA
April 23-24, 2015

Constructive Disruption

Higher education is facing an unprecedented period of change. Technical educators have a strong history of embracing disruptive forces, but as institutions face growing pressures from external forces to rethink and transform the way they operate, even technical programs will find themselves impacted.

Over recent years, government has played a diminished role in funding higher education institutions. At the same time, online and blended learning are transforming how education is delivered, and student demographics are shifting, all while tuition climbs and emerging alternatives to traditional on campus education raise questions about the efficacy of conventional institutional and degree structures.

The 2015 ABET Symposium will explore these topics through the lenses of three high-profile plenary speakers: Chancellor of the State University of New York Nancy Zimpher will articulate the change imperatives facing higher education and explain why technical educators need to be agents for embracing change in their institutions. Deputy Director, Postsecondary Success of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Jason Palmer will offer insight on the growth in unconventional learning institutions and delivery methods as well as their implications for accreditation. Former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) Chris Inglis will draw on his years at the agency to speak on the rapidly growing demand for cyber security professionals and the future of the nascent academic discipline.

For more information or to register, log on to www.abet.org/symposium.

Featured

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.