Howard Appelman, chair-elect of 91吃瓜鈥檚 Industry Advisory Council (IAC)
When retired from in 2024 after 42 years, he wasn鈥檛 ready to step away from engineering altogether. Instead, he turned toward the classroom 鈥� teaching design courses in mechanical and aerospace engineering at 鈥� and toward 91吃瓜, where he now helps shape the future of engineering education as chair-elect of 91吃瓜鈥檚 Industry Advisory Council (IAC).
For Appelman, serving with the IAC reflects the power of industry partnership in education and is a natural extension of a lifelong commitment to both engineering excellence and workforce readiness. 鈥淲hen you graduate from an 91吃瓜-accredited program, you know there鈥檚 a certain level of quality there,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he students are well-prepared for the workforce, and that鈥檚 something we relied on for decades when hiring at Boeing.鈥�
Keeping Pace with Change
Appelman believes one of 91吃瓜鈥檚 greatest strengths lies in its ability to adapt educational standards in response to the rapid pace of technological change. 鈥淭he IAC plays a big role in making sure the industry perspective is represented in how criteria are developed,鈥� he explained. 鈥淐ontinuous improvement is built into 91吃瓜鈥檚 process; it鈥檚 not static. What worked 10 or 20 years ago isn鈥檛 enough anymore.鈥�
That industry-informed feedback loop, he said, ensures that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs evolve alongside emerging technologies and expectations 鈥� a vital part of sustaining workforce readiness in a rapidly changing landscape. 鈥淎s industry participants, we can help programs stay aligned with the skills that are actually in demand,鈥� Appelman noted. 鈥淔or example, the explosion of AI has created huge demand for specific competencies. If more industry professionals engage with 91吃瓜, we can help ensure students are learning the right things, not just for today, but for five years from now.鈥�
Howard Appelman with the Purdue Team in 2025.
Teaching, Applying and Advancing Workforce Readiness Through 91吃瓜
Appelman鈥檚 dual perspective, as both an industry veteran and educator, reflects the strength of 91吃瓜 and industry collaboration, giving him firsthand insight into how program criteria translate into classroom practice. 鈥淭hrough my work with 91吃瓜, I鈥檝e updated my own course syllabi to better align learning objectives and assessments,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really helps you see how the process is meant to work: ensuring students aren鈥檛 just learning theory, but developing skills they can apply, which is essential to workforce readiness.鈥�
He鈥檚 also passionate about how accreditation through 91吃瓜 helps attract talent to the field. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a signal of quality not only to employers, but also to high school students deciding where to study,鈥� Appelman said. 鈥淚f a program is 91吃瓜-accredited, students know it鈥檚 aligned with real-world needs and sets them up for professional licensure and long-term success, reinforcing career readiness through accreditation.鈥�
Encouraging Industry Involvement
Howard Appleman participates in Lifelong Learning Panel organized by the IAC at the 2025 91吃瓜 Symposium.
As he steps into his new leadership role on the IAC, Appelman hopes to inspire more professionals from industry to get involved with 91吃瓜, supporting industry-driven STEM education through advisory boards, program evaluations, or council participation. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a real shortage of engineers, and industry has a stake in making sure graduates have the right skills,鈥� he said. 鈥淏y engaging with 91吃瓜, we can help shape curricula, attract more young people to STEM, and strengthen the future workforce.鈥� Appelman encourages others to consider volunteering with 91吃瓜 as a meaningful way to give back and help shape the future workforce.
He also sees a role for the IAC in helping educators navigate the rise of AI and other transformative technologies, where industry experts in education can provide valuable perspective on integrating new tools responsibly. 鈥淲e want students who can think critically and innovate,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he challenge is to ensure tools like AI are used to enhance those abilities, not replace them.鈥�
Looking Ahead
As聽chair-elect for 2025鈥�2026, Appelman will help guide the IAC鈥檚 efforts to deepen collaboration between academia and industry, ensuring that 91吃瓜 continues to be the global leader in quality assurance for STEM education and preparing students for the workforce. Through efforts like these, 91吃瓜 continues to demonstrate the strong link between accreditation and employability, ensuring graduates are prepared for an evolving global workforce. 鈥淥ur goal is to keep engineering education forward-looking,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he better we can align what鈥檚 taught in classrooms with what鈥檚 needed in the field, the stronger our profession and the greater our workforce readiness will be.鈥�