Support for HBCU Faculty to Thrive in Excellence in Research

This project seeks to examine the impact of a professional development program intentionally designed to serve the needs and interests of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Additionally,the project aims to improve the capacity of STEM faculty to respond to the HBCU-Excellence in Research (EiR) program with competitive submissions. The project will examine the impact of a series of professional development activities, including assistance with research proposal development and submission, establishment of peer networks and collaboration, and a research/STEM expert mentee on faculty research proposal success, career progression, and long-term retention at HBCUs. The project is predicated on the understanding that HBCU STEM faculty can best be served by professional development activities that are comprehensive in nature and attuned to the unique needs and interests of participants. To test this understanding and to augment the scant existing literature, the project will pursue a set of research questions related to the necessity and impact of incorporating concern for HBCU STEM faculty identities, interests, and values into professional development activities targeted for them, and the degree to which HBCU STEM faculty express interest in incorporating such social- and cultural concerns into their STEM research. At the center of the project is HBCU THRIVE, a comprehensive professional development series that combines virtual workshops and online resources, an in-person writing retreat, and extensive writing support for cohorts of HBCU STEM faculty. HBCU THRIVE will teach strategies and tactics for proposal preparation and help participants develop strong research agendas and navigate challenges that arise in their professional lives. Through a cohort model the project will plant the seeds for a community of practice that will strengthen the network of HBCU researchers. The project will be informed by a rigorous evaluation plan throughout the two-year implementation and draw summative conclusions on the project’s impact. 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.