Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE)

NSF SBE DIRECTORATE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT

QEM Network has conducted workshops and follow-up activities to assist the NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) in developing an action plan that will promote efforts to increase the production of underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans) in the social sciences at the bachelor’s, doctoral, and early career levels. In 2004, QEM conducted a survey of the Top 25 producers of underrepresented minority doctoral degree recipients in SBE disciplines during the period 1998-2002. The survey questionnaire included items on:

• Demographic information for recent underrepresented minority SBE doctoral degree recipients; and
  
• Possible factors and strategies that contribute to institutional success in producing underrepresented minority doctoral degree recipients in SBE disciplines.

QEM staff and consultants then assisted the NSF/SBE Directorate in conducting two workshops in September and November 2004 for leading institutional producers of underrepresented minority degree recipients in SBE disciplines at both the B.S. and Ph.D. levels during the five-year period, 1998-2002. A draft action plan was prepared that reflects the distilled knowledge, practice, and opinions of faculty and administrators from 16 of the top producers of underrepresented minority doctoral degree recipients in SBE disciplines. The recommended action items include the following:

• SBE Centers -- NSF should organize and fund SBE-focused centers, following the NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) model that support integrative research, education, and knowledge transfer activities. The SBE Centers should investigate issues of national significance that also represent areas where there are critical disparities disproportionately affecting minority populations.
• Increased Participation -- NSF should increase the participation of underrepresented minority faculty and students in existing NSF-funded projects.
• Strategic Mentoring -- Strategic mentoring should be provided to underrepresented minorities who persist beyond the bachelor’s level.
• Diversity Objectives -- Graduate programs should be encouraged to develop diversity objectives and engage in evaluation of their progress relative to these objectives.

Workshop participants also discussed the feasibility of establishing an alliance of institutions to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who are recipients of doctoral degrees in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. The proposed alliance would include Research I institutions and non-Ph.D.-granting institutions, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving Institutions, and other minority-serving institutions. The alliance would involve undergraduate students in mentored summer research programs on their campuses. All research activities during a given summer would focus on an area of disparity (Education, Environmental Justice, Criminal Justice, Health, or Socioeconomic Status).

See NSF SBES Alliances

At the Fourteenth Annual National Conference of the QEM/MSE Network in February 2005, QEM recognized nine leading producers of SBE degrees earned by underrepresented minorities at the Baccalaureate and Doctoral levels (CUNY Graduate School and University Center, Howard University, University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Florida, University of Maryland College Park, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, and University of Texas at Austin). Conference sessions focused on disparities in Ph.D. production in the sciences, with special presentations and panel discussions on ways to increase the number of underrepresented minorities receiving doctoral degrees in SBE fields.

On February 22-23, 2008, in Washington, DC, QEM will conduct a workshop, with support from the NSF SBE Directorate, focused on research and education opportunities relevant to five key areas of disparity that disproportionately affect members of underrepresented minority groups (African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans). The five areas of disparity on which the one-and-a-half day workshop will focus are Education, Environmental Justice, Criminal Justice, Health, and Socioeconomic Status. The workshop also will examine ideas for the development of an SBE center, modeled after NSF’s Science and Technology Centers, that would focus on research related to the areas of disparity. Workshop participants will include representatives of institutions that are leading producers of minority recipients of undergraduate or doctoral degrees in SBE disciplines and that have alliances, centers, institutes, initiatives, or other programs in place that address one or more of the targeted areas of disparity.

The goals of the upcoming workshop are to:  1) discuss the current state of research relevant to the areas of disparity, including emerging research trends and knowledge gaps in these areas;   2) identify opportunities for faculty from minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and underrepresented minority graduate and undergraduate students to become more involved in research and education activities related to the disparities at the participating institutions;   3) discuss the formation of possible new alliances among the participating institutions to advance research in the areas of disparity; and   4) identify potential funding sources for strengthening existing campus efforts as well as for any proposed new alliances.

See Final AGENDA

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ABOUT THE PROJECT
Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network received a grant in 2004 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide assistance to the NSF Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate in developing an action plan that will promote efforts to increase the production of underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans) in the social sciences at the doctoral and early career levels.

QEM/NSF SBE WORKSHOPS TO DATE

For more information, please contact Shirley McBay (smmcbay1@qem.org) or J. Arthur Jones (jajones@qem.org) or via telephone at 202-659-1818.

Created and Maintained by:
The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network
1818 N Street, NW, Suite 350  •  Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202/659-1818  •  Fax: 202/659-5408
Last Updated: March 2008
For questions or comments email us at qemnetwork@qem.org