Northrop Grumman Gives $2 Million Grant to National Society of Black Engineers

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) received a $2 million grant from the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

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The grants were presented last week to NBSE’s executive board by executives from both Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation at NBSE’s recent annual convention in Boston. They will be used toward a three-year program through a partnership with HBCUs in an effort to expand the engineering workforce.

“Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation are committed to helping improve science, technology, engineering, and math [STEM] education to ensure a future workforce that can protect our nation and maintain our global leadership,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, Northrop Grumman vice president, global corporate responsibility and president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

“Our partnership with NBSE will help us achieve that goal and develop the pipeline of diverse talent that is so important to our company and our society’s future.”

The program, officially named the Northrop Grumman Corporation/NBSE Integrated Pipeline Program, provides 72 engineering students with $8,000 in scholarship grants. Those students will also receive internships at Northup Grumman as well as year-round academic and career development support.

There are three HBCUs partnering with the program: Florida A&M University, Howard University, and North Carolina State A&T University. Each will receive grants, technical assistance, and a variety of NBSE programs, all with the goal of increasing the number of engineering graduates.

The first 24 scholarship recipients will be selected in December and will take part in the program’s kickoff summit meeting in March 2017 at the NBSE’s 43^rd Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

“Our sincere thanks to the Northrop Grumman Foundation for this generous investment in our mission,” said Neville Green, NSBE national chair. “The student leadership of NSBE is excited about this program’s potential to move us toward the goals of our strategic plan and

support HBCUs in the process. Initiatives such as this, with strong strategic partners, will be critical as we seek to increase the number of African American bachelor’s degree recipients in engineering from 3,500 to 10,000 annually over the next nine years.”

Northrop Grumman is an aerospace and defense technology company. Last year, the Pentagon awarded the company a $21.4 billion contract to build next-generation long-range strike bomber aircraft. It is one of the largest defense contractors globally.