In the summer of 1973, a small group of minority engineering students founded Pi Sigma Pi Minority Academic Engineering Society at the University of Texas at Austin in an effort to unite minority engineers and support them in their academic and professional endeavors. It was the first and only organization of its kind in the Cockrell School of Engineering and remained so for nearly ten years. At that point, the UT chapters of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) were founded and Pi Sigma Pi became the umbrella organization for both. In 1994, Pi Sigma Pi, NSBE, and SHPE became three separate entities. However, Pi serves as the premier organization for the unity of all minority engineers at UT Austin.