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NCOURAGES Mission is to:

stock_aises_01.jpgFocus and align our individual efforts and activities for the purpose of dramatically increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the nation's science and engineering workforce.

 
Common Missions

Each of the eight members is dedicated to increasing the representation of minorities in the nation’s technical workforce. Since their foundings, the organizations have enjoyed parallel, closely interwoven histories and distinguished records of accomplishment. Their respective missions and goals in increasing the number of under-represented students interested in and prepared to pursue engineering, science and related careers are mutually supportive, synergistic and highly complementary.

Not only have the organizations shared programmatic successes and concerns, but they have also developed many common stakeholders and overlapping bases of support in the wider education and technical communities that together they support and serve. They have signed a Declaration of Interdependence that defines the collective association and affiliation among the organizations which is known as the National Coalition of Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Advocacy Groups in Engineering and Science; commonly referred to as NCOURAGES.

 

NCOURAGES Strategies
      
AISES, GEM, MAES, MESA USA, NACME, NAMEPA, NSBE, and SHPE all recognize the power and potential of teaming in coordinated action. They have hereby expressed their openness to explore and aggressively pursue – near – and long-term – more ambitious, larger-scale, coordinated, and complementary ventures and approaches as dictated by challenging objectives that may reach beyond the direct focus, means, and resources of any organization individually.

 

Collaboration + Action = NCOURAGES

NCOURAGES is a thriving, active partnership coalition comprised of 8 member organizations.  Coalition members have realized tangible, strategic, shared successes and progress in achieving each member its organization’s mission as well as the coalition’s shared vision of dramatically increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the nation's science and engineering workforce.

These successes are a result of coalition-wide endeavors as well as specific multi-organizational programs and ventures.

Throughout the past several years, NCOURAGES successfully implemented a number of active engagements between our organizations that have demonstrated real results.  These successes include:

  • NCOURAGES members actively support member organization’s conferences and events throughout the year, through the delivery of programmatic support and participation in career fairs and exhibits
  • Cross-organizational promotion
  • Collaborative development of grants and new initiatives between subset of NCOURAGES members as well as one grant underway with all members participating.
  • Over 200 students served through GEM’s Getting Ready for Advanced Degrees (GRAD) Labs and Future Faculty and Professional Symposiums at SHPE, NSBE and AISES annual conferences and leadership conferences, resulting in a significant increase (estimated at 40%) in Native participation in graduate fellowship applications through the National GEM Consortium