Bechtel announced it has expanded its partnership with the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) by contributing $200,000 to the organization’s Bridge Scholarship Program from Bechtel Group Foundation. The grant will support NACME’s university-hosted college preparatory camps for students admitted to a four-year engineering or computer science program. NACME research shows that summer seminars in math and science held before the first semester of college help students adjust to university life, improve academic performance, and enhance graduation rates.
Bechtel is a founding member of NACME, dating back to 1974. Since then, Bechtel executives have served continuously on the nonprofit’s board of directors. Bechtel and its corporate foundation have invested more than $3.3 million towards advancing NACME’s mission.
"We are proud of Bechtel’s 48-year partnership with NACME as it reflects our values and our ongoing commitment to creating and empowering a more diverse workforce,” said Craig Albert, Bechtel’s President and COO, who spoke at NACME’s 48th annual conference in Atlanta. “By working together – schools, colleges, businesses, and civil society – we can create more pathways and opportunities for diverse talent in STEM, creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace in engineering and construction.”
NACME recently adopted the Pathways model to support students who don’t go directly from high school to a 4-year bachelors program”, said Michele Lezama, NACME President and CEO. “Key to its success are partnerships with companies like Bechtel to inspire students, provide scholarships, and work with K-12 pathway organizations to ensure their students are supported in entering STEM careers. It takes all of us to develop an engineering workforce that looks like America.”
NACME’s Bridge Scholarship Program equips students to succeed in their first year of college-level studies,” said Kevin Edwards, Bechtel’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and a member of NACME’s Board of Directors. Kevin is also a graduate of a bridge program at Rutgers University. “I am looking forward to meeting the next generation of NACME scholars and following their exciting careers as they change the world.”
NACME is a non-profit organization that focuses on research and scholarship as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fields of engineering and computer science. NACME partners with like-minded entities to provide scholarships, resources, and opportunities for high-achieving, underrepresented minority college students pursuing careers in engineering and computer science.
