NSF Award
2430323
This Ideas Lab project is a collaboration between Miles College, Howard University, Morgan State University, Tennessee State University, and Winston-Salem State University. The team proposes to build an adaptable “Grow Your Own” model for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to train students, faculty, and staff in research administration and basic scientific research. The few number of highly qualified research administration professionals available in offices of sponsored programs leaves the entire research enterprise at HBCUs overwhelmed. This results in less time for grant writing, time-consuming grant administration, and fewer opportunities for students. Providing additional training and research development opportunities for HBCU students, faculty, and staff could address pressing needs of advancing research capacities at HBCUs, including increasing the production of highly qualified research administrative professionals and scientists. The project's adaptable “Grow Your Own” model will be shared widely so that HBCUs and minority-serving institutions of various sizes can utilize it to advance their own research capacity.<br/> <br/>The goal of the HBCU Ujima Collective (Ujima-C): Building Research Capacity at HBCUs through a Grow Your Own Research Corps Model project is to capitalize on the research strengths of each of the five partnering institutions in the project to produce an adaptable model for training and building a corps of research administrators and scientists to enhance research capacity across HBCUs nationwide. The objective of the project is to design, pilot, assess, and share a “Grow Your Own” model to train HBCU personnel in the business and science of research through a systematic assessment of research capacity needs and assets. By training HBCU personnel, UJIMA-C will directly impact the advancement of research capacity through a trained network with research knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed to enhance the research enterprise. UJIMA-C will implement this model at the five partnering HBCUs in the project and will recruit additional HBCUs towards the end of the project to assess the model’s effectiveness. The project aims to understand how increasing and aligning human capital can advance research capacity at different HBCUs by exploring which KSAOs support and hinder research capacity growth. Additionally, the project will identify the KSAOs required for efficient and effective research administrators and scientists working at HBCUs. This project will advance the research enterprise by impacting the research culture at HBCUs; introducing HBCU students to careers in research administration; and increasing African American students' interest in pursuing advanced degrees, which can lead to broadening participation in the STEM workforce. This project is co-funded by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), which provides awards to strengthen STEM undergraduate education and research at HBCUs.<br/><br/>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.
