Receiving this award meant a lot to the chapter because it was the most prestigious award given at the conference, said Jamon Lewis, president of the Marquette NSBE chapter and a senior in the College of Engineering.,”Marquette's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers came out on top out of 66 colleges by receiving the "Most Distinguished Chapter" award at the NSBE Fall Regional Conference in Madison Nov. 16-18.
Receiving this award meant a lot to the chapter because it was the most prestigious award given at the conference, said Jamon Lewis, president of the Marquette NSBE chapter and a senior in the College of Engineering. Lewis said the award came as a surprise to the group because it was not one of its original goals.
Lewis said the award was given based on performance throughout the semester, with the group's greatest accomplishment being its growth as it went from having seven members last year to 32 members this semester. He said the award marks the first time the group ever received a major award at the conference.
"We've been grindin'," Lewis said. "We work extremely hard just to make it to these conferences."
He said the group started with no budget and it can take up to $18,000 to fund and travel to events.
According to Lewis, the regional conference consisted of guest speakers, food, workshops, a career fair and competitions for graduate research and junior NSBE groups, which are high school and middle school groups.
Marquette is part of Region IV, mainly a Midwest region, which is the biggest of the six NSBE regions, Lewis said.
He said NSBE is the largest student-managed organization in the country.
"Everybody in NSBE is very passionate," Lewis said. He said the conference was a good atmosphere and it was great to see a big room full of people.
Lewis said the group's increase in numbers represents accomplishment of the organization's mission statement, which is to "increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community." But he said the group also strives to improve the engineering field as a whole, regardless of race.
Lewis described Marquette's chapter as an "inactive chapter" that changed last year when the group became more involved in the community through programs and projects. He said winning the award would hopefully get the group's name out both nationally and among university administration.
After accomplishing all of its goals of the semester, Lewis said the chapter is looking forward to next semester's goals and the national convention in Orlando, Fla., in March.
The award shows that the efforts of some of the group's older members have finally paid off, but it also raises the bar of expectation for younger members, Lewis said.
Perry Green, member of the NSBE chapter and a senior in the College of Engineering, said the best part about the conference was being able to go as a collective group, as the chapter took 22 members to the conference. After attending the conference every year since 2005, he said it was nice to get recognition for all the hard work the group has done.
Green said he enjoyed the networking portion of the conference the most and that the group plans to take as many members as possible to the national convention.
Teresa Briggs, member of the NSBE chapter and a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said her experience at the regional conference was different than the experience of the rest of the members because she spent a lot of her time shadowing the regional executive board. She shadowed the program's chair, the leadership chair, the secretary and other administrative positions to see how the event was organized because she said she is thinking about running for a regional position next year.
If elected to the position, Briggs said it would bring more regional support and attention to Marquette's NSBE chapter and could improve the group financially and administratively.
“