A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 518

Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Programs (MSIP)

(CFDA No. 84.120)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, Title X, Part B, Sections 1021-1047, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1135b-1135d-6) (expires September 30, 1997).

Purpose: To improve science and engineering education at predominantly minority institutions and to increase the participation of underrepresented ethnic minorities in scientific and technological careers.

Funding History

Fiscal Year	Appropriation	Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1972	$5,000,000	1987	$5,000,000
1975	5,000,000	1988	5,266,000
1980	5,000,000	1989	5,307,000
1981	5,000,000	1990	5,416,000
1982	4,800,000	1991	5,855,000
1983	4,800,000	1992	6,000,000
1984	4,800,000	1993	5,892,000
1985	5,000,000	1994	5,892,000
1986	4,785,000

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

Private and public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education are eligible for Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Programs (MSIP) grants if their enrollments are predominantly (50 percent or more) American Indian, Alaskan native, black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, or any combination of these or other ethnic minorities who are underrepresented in science and engineering. Nonprofit, science-oriented organizations and professional scientific societies are also eligible if they provide a needed service to a group of institutions eligible for MSIP, including in-service training for project directors, scientists, or engineers.

As shown in Table 1, 32 to 48 of the eligible minority institutions received funding in a given year. Over the four years from 1990 through 1993, 39 percent of the 268 eligible institutions received funding. Over this period, 54 percent of the Historically Black institutions, 46 percent of the American Indian institutions, and 51 percent of combination institutions received funding. By contrast, only 7 percent of the predominantly black institutions received funding.

Table 1

Distribution of Funds by Racial or Ethnic Group for FYs 1990-1993

Racial or Ethnic Group¹	Number of Eligible Institutions	FY 1990		FY 1991		FY 1992		FY 1993		Total
Racial or Ethnic Group¹	Number of Eligible Institutions	Amount	Schools²	Amount	Schools²	Amount	Schools²	Amount	Schools²	Amount	Schools²
Alaskan Native	4	$19,850	1	$0	0	$0	0	$0	0	$19,850	1
American Indian	28	821,085	5	621,966	5	1,154,362	5	440,637	3	3,038,050	13
Historically Black	100	2,213,217	16	3,311,146	20	3,160,957	17	2,982,770	26	11,668,090	54
Predominantly Black	27	262,484	1	264,437	1	0	0	164,572	1	691,493	2
Hispanic (Mexican)	27	282,611	2	0	0	49,998	1	164,677	1	497,286	3
Puerto Rico	43	765,496	3	538,212	4	581,896	3	1,161,360	7	3,046,964	12
Pacific Islander/Asian	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	108,700	1	108,700	1
Combination	35	841,490	5	906,918	6	849,141	4	733,299	7	3,330,848	18
Non Minority	-	92,993	2	212,200	3	187,635	2	24,983	2	617,811	8
Total	268	$5,399,226	35	$5,854,879	39	$5,983,989	32	$5,780,998	48	$23,019,092	112

Predominant racial or ethnic group is defined as 50 percent or more students enrolled from that group.
Some schools receive more than one award under this program so number of schools on Table 1 is a smaller number than number of awards on Table 2.

Source: III.1.

Services

As presented in Table 2, four categories of grants are supported with MSIP funds:

Institutional Project grants provide assistance to individual minority institutions to support implementation of comprehensive science improvement plans, which may include any combination of activities designed to improve the preparation of minority students for careers in science. These grants have a maximum duration of three years and a maximum award size of $300,000.
Cooperative Project grants assist groups of nonprofit, accredited colleges and universities to work together to conduct science improvement projects. These grants have a maximum duration of three years and a maximum award size of $500,000.
Design Project grants provide assistance to minority institutions to plan and develop long-range science improvement programs. The grants have a maximum duration of one year and an award size of up to $20,000.
Special Project grants support activities that improve the quality of training in science, mathematics and engineering; enhance minority institutions' general scientific research capabilities; provide needed services to groups of eligible minority institutions; or provide inservice training for project directors and faculty from eligible minority institutions. These grants have a maximum duration of two years and a maximum award size of $150,000.

Table 2

Distribution of Funds Under the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Programs, Fiscal Years 1990 Through 1993

Maximum
1990	1991	1992		1993		Total
Type of Award	Size and Duration	Amount	Awards	Amount	Awards	Amount	Awards	Amount	Awards	Amount	Awards
Institutional Projects	$300,000 3 years	$3,361,948	14	$3,944,916	16	$4,327,227	17	$4,649,581	31	$16,283,672	78
Cooperative Projects	$500,000 3 years	898,901	2	473,429	1	896,799	2	653,722	3	2,922,851	8
Design Projects	$20,000 1 year	35,548	2	36,610	2	19,500	1	0	0	91,658	5
Special Projects	$150,000 2 years	1,102,829	20	1,399,924	26	740,463	14	477,695	16	3,720,911	76
Total		$5,399,226	38	$5,854,879	45	$5,983,989	34	$5,780,998	50	$23,019,092	167

Source: III.1.

Over $23 million has been appropriated for MSIP from FY 1990 through FY 1993. Most of that appropriation has funded institutional project grants, which represented approximately 62 percent of the appropriation in FY 1990 and has grown to 80 percent in FY 1993. The average size of the institutional grants grew slightly from $240,000 in FY 1990 to $255,000 in FY 1992, but dropped to $150,000 in FY 1993. The drop in FY 1993 was caused by a level of funding similar to FY 1992 being distributed to an increased number of grantees.

III. Sources of Information

Program files.

IV. Planned Studies

None.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:: Argelia Velez-Rodriguez, (202) 260-3258
Program Studies:: Jim Maxwell, (202) 401-0182

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