2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Race to R1: An Analysis of Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) Potential to Reach Research 1 Carnegie Classification® (R1) Status

Presented at Engineering and Public Policy Division (EPP) Technical Session 1

Since 1973, the Carnegie Classification® has been the guiding framework for determining which U.S.-based higher education institutions are considered the top in the country. The complex and multi-layered calculation combines to give institutions the designation of being labeled a research one (R1) very high research activity institution or research two (R2) high research activity, both of which require that you grant doctoral degrees. These designations are pivotal in determining who obtains what resources through ongoing decisions by organizations from federal agencies to private sector organizations and philanthropists. Additionally, the designations are instrumental in key policy decisions that have the future, mobility, and overall sustainability of operations within institutions, including its various stakeholders (i.e., faculty, staff, and students) at its core.

As of 2023, while none of the nation’s 101 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have received the highest designation of R1 status, 11 hold the status of research two. Within the past decade, several of those 11 institutions have made obtaining R1 status a top priority for their organization, some of whom have embedded the goal within their key strategic plans or key initiatives within their leadership teams’ organizational priorities.

Based on this information, the goal of this research study is to (1) conduct an analysis of data available within the Carnegie Classification®, (2) provide a thorough review of the literature surrounding this phenomenon, (3) explain the role of engineering education, engineering education policy, and policy, overall, within this phenomenon and (4) use that information, all inclusively, to determine who will be the first of the eleven to receive the designation. The two research questions guiding this research are: which historically black college and/or university (HBCU) will obtain Carnegie Classification® R1: doctoral universities – very high research activity status first? And in what ways will engineering education, research, and policy impact which HBCU reaches R1 status first? Results show that three of the 11 will be the first to reach the designation and why. Implications for this research study and its results are provided, recommendations for future research, and a concluding statement are provided.

Authors

Dr. Trina L. Fletcher http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-1765-5957 Florida International University [biography]

Dr. Trina Fletcher is an Assistant Professor of Engineering and Computing Education at Florida International University and the founder of m3i Journey, a start-up focused on research-based, personalized, holistic, innovative, relevant, and engaging (PHIRE) financial literacy education. She serves as the Director of the READi Lab (readilab.com) where her research portfolio consists of equity, access, and inclusion within education for historically excluded individuals, with a particular focus on women in engineering and computing and STEM education at HBCUs. Additionally, Dr. Fletcher is researching economic equity, and the impact of finances on students' success and academic persistence. She is a 2022 recipient of the NSF Early CAREER award and has received several awards at the institutional and national levels. Prior to academia, Dr. Fletcher served as the Director of Pre-college for the National Society of Black Engineers and worked for two Fortune 500 companies. You can follow Dr. Fletcher on Twitter @trinalfletcher and LinkedIn.
Simone Nicholson Florida International University [biography]

I am a second year doctoral student at Florida International University. My research interests are HBCU STEM education research and Black feminism to improve Black students STEM experiences. My advisor is Dr.Trina Fletcher
Dr. Christopher Alexander Carr George Mason University [biography]

Christopher Carr is a leadership and policy wonk in the areas of diversity, higher education, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). His unwavering support in the work of intersectional justice has allowed him to trek a path in the difficult areas of retention in institutions of higher learning, teamwork and organizational development in the collegiate and professional sphere, and diverse representation in STEM fields. With a background in public policy, he takes his ethical stances into conversations around tough issues to make sure all voices are included.

In his professional life, Carr has convened numerous diversity leadership forums in STEM education – bringing together over 100 deans and diversity administrators to talk about underrepresented students persistence, diverse faculty recruitment, and creating inclusive campus climates. Carr has also been a champion for access to opportunities for those from historically oppressed groups. He worked to see outreach efforts exponentially expand to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. His efforts transformed the way the National Science Foundation both solicited the premier Graduate Research Fellowship Program, which led to comprehensive changes in other federal STEM fellowships.

In his role at Mason, Carr supports the faculty with search committee parameters to help ensure that the George Mason faculty better represents the diverse Mason student body, he supports the Office of the Dean and the associate deans in their efforts to develop and enhance an equitable and just campus climate within the College of Engineering and Computing, and he supports the larger campus community goals by helping to challenge the status quo and assist in the university in its strategic goals.

Christopher has is Bachelor of Arts in International Relations & History from William Jewell College, a Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University, and a Doctorate of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University.
Tina Fletcher [biography]

Tina is a senior officer for the strategy, learning and evaluation department. She assists with research, evaluation and measurement related to the Education Program.

Before joining the foundation, Tina served as a postdoctoral research fellow for the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Her research interests included Black teacher experiences with licensure exams, the school-to-prison pipeline and male teachers of color. Prior to studying education policy, Tina served as a social studies teacher in Washington, DC, a political fundraiser and an education consultant in the Arkansas Delta.

Tina holds a B.A. in Political Science and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas, an Ed.M. in Teacher Education from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.
Brittany Boyd

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