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 Columbus, Ohio—Students and corporations came together at the Greater Columbus Convention Center  to both celebrate diversity and provide networking and career opportunities.  The event was the 33rd Annual National Convention of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the largest student-managed organization in the world, which includes the planning, budgeting and administration of this major national meeting.

Founded in 1975 and based in Alexandria, VA, NSBE has grown to include more than 23,000 members in 300 college and university chapters and about 75 alumni groups. Highlights of the convention included career fairs and job recruitment, with more than 300 companies represented, ranging from General Mills and Walt  Disney to Microsoft and the CIA; workshops focusing on academic excellence, cultural and community awareness, leadership development, career advancement and  technical excellence; The 10th Annual Golden Torch Awards honoring the  best and brightest in engineering; and keynote speeches by Michael B. Coleman, Mayor of Columbus; U.S. Navy Admiral Michael G. Mullen,  Chief of Naval Operations;  John Surma, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, United States Steel Corporation; Louis Chenevert, President and Chief Operating Officer, United Technologies Corporation, and  Angela Davis, a political activist in the 1960s, and now a professor of history today at the University of  California Santa Cruz. 

  "This event is one-stop shopping for the more than 300 corporate, government and university representatives looking to recruit talented engineers said Pamela D. Sharif, Chief Operating Executive for NSBE Publications. "Professional attendees come to the convention for career development activities.”  

According to Experience Columbus, the event brought in nearly $12 million in spending related to the event, and the city and convention center were praised organizers and attendees. “All of us that have come here, though, have been really impressed with the city, its black leadership and the ease of navigating around town," said Carl Mack, Executive Director, NSBE.

The welcoming tone by the city to an organization devoted to diversity was articulated at the event’s opening   ceremonies by Curtis Moody, board member of Experience Columbus and founder of Moody Nolan, one of the largest African American-owned architectural firms in the U.S.. We’re rolling out the red carpet. We want you to have a great enough time that you come back for any reason. In fact, we want you to move here."  

NSBE received a $1 million donation from Battelle , a global science and technology company, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The largest single donation in NSBE history, the Battelle contribution supports initiatives in science, technology and math education, specifically  the awarding of college scholarships and development of elementary and  middle school programs. "Our support is not something we believe should stop right at the convention," said Bob Lincoln, Vice President of Human Resources for Battelle. "We’re committed to making this a sustainable issue."

In addition, with the assistance of local sponsors, NSBE has created  the Columbus Public Schools Initiative, in which junior chapters of  NSBE were established at middle and high schools,  reaching at least 1,000 students city-wide. Mayor Coleman praised NSBE convention in his remarks, said that the event, “has great symbolic value. They’re here making it real for young people in Columbus."

 "We've never had the type of impact that we've had in Columbus," said  Mack.  "NSBE is the champion of diversity." 

"The decision by the National Society of Black Engineers to hold its annual conference in Columbus provides the state with a great opportunity to showcase Ohio to a national audience" said Lt. Governor Fisher, who also serves as the Director of the Ohio Department of Development. " The opportunity to host the nation's best and brightest black engineers is indeed an honor and will surely help Ohio make its mark in this highly technical field." 

Planning and executing such a successful event not only took time, but the right venue. The SMG -managed Greater Columbus Convention Center hosted an estimated 2.5 million visitors in 2006. The 1.7 million-square-foot venue is an award-winning facility and features 99,410 square feet of meeting space; 61 meeting rooms and 426,000 square feet of Total Exhibit Space, including a 336,000 square foot Main Exhibit Hall.

"The NSBE 33rd Annual National Convention is the culmination of  extensive planning that began with the site selection five years ago," said Sherry Fish, Director of Sales Sherry Fish, Greater Columbus Convention Center. "NSBE is the largest student-managed organization in the world and we welcome the organization and its educational initiatives to our facility and city."