In the summer of 1973, a small group of minority engineering students founded Pi Sigma Pi Minority Engineering Society at The University of Texas at Austin in an effort to unite fellow minority engineers and support them in their academic and professional endeavors. It was the first and only organization of its kind in the College of Engineering and remained so for almost ten years. At that point, the UT chapters of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) were founded and Pi Sigma Pi became the umbrella organization for those two groups. In 1994, Pi Sigma Pi, SHPE, and NSBE became three separate entities. However, Pi still serves as the link between SHPE and NSBE. Since its founding 30 years ago, Pi Sigma Pi has become a well-respected organization within the Cockrell School of Engineering that strives to promote and maintain academic and professional excellence among minority engineering students.