Strengthening and Expanding Partnerships and Access through the CMPS-MSI Scholars' Research Network

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS)-Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Scholars’ Research Network aims to build and broaden the participation of scholars from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), especially those who are first-generation college students, and/or who identify as Black, Latinx, and Native American Indian. This partnership between the longstanding CMPS research project, housed at the University of California-Los Angeles, and three MSIs (Diné College-Tsaile, Howard University, and the University of New Mexico) will enhance the understanding of diverse populations in the U.S. and some of the most critical social science research topics in the contemporary U.S. Using the CMPS dataset collected after the November 2020 presidential election as a research anchor, this project creates new avenues to build research, publication, and grant writing expertise by supporting diverse groups of MSI researchers to communicate and coordinate their academic research efforts. This grant provides MSIs with graduate student research support and research/grant writing workshops at each of the three MSI campuses. It also provides funding for MSI scholars to attend the CMPS Scholars Research Network Conference at UCLA and funding for MSI scholars who are CMPS National Advisory Board Members, to attend the board meetings. The goal of this project is to advance academic careers and aid graduate student and faculty retention efforts through the support of research-based networks, mentorship, and professional development of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous scholars at MSIs. The activities supported by this grant, including small MSI working group meetings and MSI researcher attendance at the CMPS Summer Research Workshop, is to provide facilitated, intentional opportunities for MSI partners (faculty leads and working group participants) to build and establish relationships with scholars across the country and senior scholars in the social sciences. MSI scholars will also have an opportunity to showcase their research projects to encourage cross-institutional support and collaboration. The summer workshop is an efficient and effective avenue for creating mentorship and professional socialization opportunities, including co-authorship of papers, articles, and grant proposal. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.