Building research capacity and increasing doctoral successes for underrepresented minority students at Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

The number of successful ventures to increase underrepresented minorities in STEM-related doctoral programs is low relative to the total number of such initiatives in the past. In 1992, for example, a top NSF official stated "In the past 20 years, the NSF has spent billions on increasing the minority S&E pipeline, but we have little to show for it." Unfortunately, new data suggest that the situation may actually have worsened. Mindful of past lessons-learned, the dual goals of this proposal are to (1) develop and further enhance competitive research capacity and to (2) increase the production of underrepresented minority doctoral students at Tennessee State University (TSU), one of the nations 104 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These HBCUs enroll 17% of African American undergraduates and award 26% of the bachelors degrees to this group. But most of the fifteen doctoral granting HBCUs need support to enhance research capacity to make them more competitive for funding from the National Science Foundation and other entities. For example, of these 15 HBCUs (three private, 12 public), one is ranked as research extensive (producing 50 or more PhDs per year) and five are ranked as research intensive including Tennessee State University. The doctoral programs at the twelve public HBCU are relatively new with average outputs of one PhD per year, of which 65% are awarded to African Americans. Most also lag in technology-based research facilities. None is ranked higher than a distant 177 out of 615 institutions in research expenditures, 124 out of 1610 institutions in research income, and 168 out of 1610 in graduate student enrollment. Within this scenario, the primary objectives are: 1. To enhance the competitive research capacity in interdisciplinary STEM areas at TSU, and to exploit this new capability to strengthen the embryonic doctoral program under the TSU College of Engineering. This objective is strongly leveraged through links to the TSU CREST program. 2. To significantly increase the number of input doctoral candidates and output PhDs among underrepresented minority students in diverse STEM disciplines at TSU. 3. To integrally fuse education, research, and technology in all STEM classrooms at TSU The broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity. A major impact (outcome) from this proposal will be to help actualize the newly-approved TSU doctoral program in Computer Information and Systems Engineering (CISE), with its first four students (two African American) now enrolled under the TSU College of Engineering; this is a major institutional thrust. Another impact will be to enhance the quantity and quality of research at TSU with a focus on increased faculty productivity in collaborative, interdisciplinary areas, the fusion of academics, research and technology in the classroom, and extensive mentoring of students. At least 36 graduates students will be supported by this project toward doctoral tracks, which will directly engage 13 faculty researchers. A broader national impact is to help ameliorate the systemic shortage of minority scientists and engineers in this country, especially among African Americans that comprise 84% of the undergraduate student population at TSU. Progress toward these outcomes will be assessed and evaluated during this project, and the results documented for wide dissemination and replication. This innovative project will be jointly managed through the College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science (COETSC) and the TSU Center of Excellence Information and Systems Engineering (TSU-COE-ISEM) with close coordination with the TSU Office of Sponsored Programs (OSR) to assure synchrony with long-term institutional goals. Notably, the TSU COE ISEM, a TSU-research arm that works collaboratively with TSU academic elements, manages the NSF CREST and NASAs Automated Space Science programs, generates $4.3M in annual research, produces over 40 refereed publications per year, supports an intensive mentorship program for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide range of STEM disciplines, and will leverage the project support for students on doctoral tracks. These resources provide a baseline to increase capacity in research and academics, and to significantly increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM areas.