[2] While this organization was only recognized within the campus community, it set the foundation for the development of the international Society of Women Engineers.

North Carolina State University's Dean Blake R Van Leer felt differently and encouraged future SWE president Katharine Stinson to be one of the first women to enroll and his daughter Maryly would later open a branch.

Besides the Hazel Quick letter from Michigan, there was a reply from Alice Goff, expressing her support of the idea of a society for women in engineering and architecture: "Undoubtedly an organization of such a nature would be of great benefit to all members, especially to those just entering the profession.

Although it was not clear if this group was a business, honorary, or social organization, it was proposed as a safe space for women to collaborate and share their ideas comfortably.

They opened one of the first branches at Georgia Tech after her father Blake R Van Leer successfully lobbied to allow women to attend.

Over the next decade, an increasing number of young women chose engineering as a profession, but few were able to rise to management-level positions.

SWE inaugurated a series of conferences (dubbed the Henniker Conferences[17] after the meeting site in New Hampshire) on the status of women in engineering, and in 1973 signed an agreement with the National Society of Professional Engineers in hopes of recruiting a larger percentage of working women and students to its ranks.

The Council of Section Representatives, which in partnership with an Executive Committee had governed the Society since 1959, had become so large that SWE adopted a regionalization plan designed to bring the leadership closer to the membership.

Today, SWE has over 47,000 collegiate and professional members and continues its mission as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational service organization.

Encouragement of female students and promotion of engineering as a field of study for women is a necessary and fundamental function of the organization.

[19][13][20] The SWE's mission statement is to "Empower women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion.

SWE's CEO and executive director Karen Horting[25] stated that SWE "could not have such a successful program without our corporate and foundation partners and generous individuals who support our scholarships, and our hope is to continue to grow the program and provide financial resources to those studying for a career in engineering and technology.

The archives are currently located at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

SWE offers support at all levels, from K-12 outreach programs and collegiate sections to professional development in the workplace.

Every year, SWE sections all over the world host events to help female students in primary and secondary school to understand and explore the possibilities of engineering as future careers.

[32] In 1952, the Society of Women Engineers conferred its first and highest tribute, the Achievement Award, to Dr. Mária Telkes for her “meritorious contributions to the utilization of solar energy”.

Additional notable Achievement Award recipients include: Elise Harmon, Rebecca Sparling and Frances Arnold.

The Multicultural Awards celebrate groups that demonstrate the strongest advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion.