Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (known as SEA) Inspires New R&D Vision
National Science and Engineering Alliance (NSEA)
Relevance of the New NSEA
On January 20, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and included this statement as part of his Second Inaugural Address:
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have little."
Fifty-three (53) years after the statement was made, Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc (SEA) was formed in 1990 by three 1890 Land Grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and one urban HBCU. The founding institutions were:
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Alabama A&M University (Normal, AL)
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Jackson State University (Jackson, MS)
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Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, TX)
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Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA)
The Alliance was established to strengthen the science and engineering infrastructure at member institutions, helping ensure an adequate supply of top-tier American scientists and engineers while meeting the research and development needs of both public and private sectors. Known as "A Unique Resource for the Nation®," SEA also welcomed associate members like the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help in its efforts to combat the nation's technical manpower shortage.
Operating for nearly 25 years from 1522 K Street, NW in Washington, DC, the original organization was led by Founding Executive Director and CEO, Dr. Robert Louis Shepard. After achieving and even exceeding its mission, Dr. Shepard and the Board of Directors dissolved the SEA in 2013.
In 2020, Dr. Deloris Wallace, a professor at Morris College in Sumter, SC, sought to revive and expand this legacy. Upon learning that the original SEA, Inc. had been dissolved for more than five years, the law firm Morgan Lewis worked with Dr. Wallace to officially establish the National Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (NSEA).
Working alongside Dr. Shepard and Dr. Robert Ford, Dr. Wallace brought the organization back to continue its groundbreaking advocacy. As NSEA looks to the future, it is anticipated that the organization will eventually transition back to its original name: SEA.
