Yes, we need to move on. ABET is the acronym for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. It is a federation of 28 professional engineering and technical societies. Representatives from these societies, who are practicing professionals from industry and academe, form the body of ABET through its Board of Directors and its working Commissions. EAC is responsible for conducting visits to the educational institutions for accrediting engineering programs.
Accreditation is the quality assurance that education is meeting minimum standards.
It is a non-governmental, peer review process that ensures educational quality. It is a friendly process that verifies that an institution or program meets the criteria, ensuring quality educational experience. Educational institutions or programs volunteer to periodically undergo this review to determine if minimum criteria are being met. Not only the criteria themselves are new but the entire process itself has been revamped. EC2000 becomes mandatory starting in Fall 2001, the semester during which the accreditation visit is scheduled for UIUC engineering programs.