Why Are We Called ‘Region First’?
The Bible of Region I:
Did You Know that the NSBE Academic Retention Program was launched on the chapter level?
The Academic Excellence initiative was born at Clarkson University, in Upstate Zone.
Did you know that the FIRST Regional Conference of any kind was held by Region One?
The first Fall Regional Conference (FRC) was at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1977.
Here Are the Facts!
Can you count all of the NSBE firsts that were initiated in Region One?
- The FIRST Regional Conference was held by Region One at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977.
- The FIRST Regional Leadership Conference was held by Region One at Boston University in 1984.
- NSBE Magazine evolved from Umoja Sasa, a magazine of Cornell University, a Region I chapter.
- In 1984, former ’84–’86 Region I Chair Richard White initiated NSBENet, in which Cornell University had the FIRST account.
- Region I created NSBE’s National Solicitation Package to help fund the 1985 Annual Convention. This Convention was the FIRST to gross more than $100,000.
- Region I was the FIRST region to have printed ID badges, computer registration and corporate advisors, at its 1986 Annual Convention, in Boston.
- The FIRST Alumni Conference was held in Region I in 1987.
- Former ’87–’88 Region I Chair John Polk initiated the National Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Program.
- Former ’86–’87 Region I Chair Chris Davis developed the National Academic Excellence Committee in 1990, to address the academic support needs of NSBE members.
- Region I was the FIRST region to have an “Emerging Technology Conference.” It was held in February 1992 at Wentworth Institute of Technology.
- The FIRST international NSBE chapter since the ’70s was chartered by McGill University, in Region I, in 1991.
- Randall Pinkett, Ph.D. (former Region I chair), from Rutgers University, was the FIRST NSBE Rhodes Scholar, in 1993–1994.
- D’Sunte Wilson was the FIRST Region I Academic Excellence chair, in 1996.
- The FIRST REB transition weekend was held in May 1996 at Cornell University.
- Region I was the FIRST region to host a successful four-day Leadership Conference, in August 2000 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
- Past NSBE Executive Director Michele Lezama was born and bred in Region I.
- Region I hosted its first three-day Summer Camping Conference at Adelphi University in Long Island, New York, on July 18–20, 2003.
- Region I was the FIRST region to add NSBE’s mission statement to its Regional Bylaws, in 1996.
- The NSBE mission statement was added to the National Constitution at the 2005 Boston Convention, thanks to efforts by Ainsley A. Stewart Jr., 2004–2005 Region I chair, and David G. Seegobin, Region I advisor.
- 2004–2005 Region I Publications Chair Jeff Lamothe created the FIRST Region I e-newsletter, titled The Focus, which highlighted Region I chapters and members.
- In 2008, Jarrell Johnson became NSBE’s FIRST Collegiate Lifetime member.