2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

MSI Faculty on the Rise: Strengthening Federal Grant Proposals through Cross-Institution Collaborations and Networking

This research paper focuses on the impact of collaborations and networking on faculty from Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) preparation and submission of federal grant proposals. MSI often lack the infrastructure to support faculty attempting to prepare federal grants, and MSI faculty themselves may lack the experience and professional support that faculty in well-resourced research-intensive institutions typically have. Coupled with the racial disparity already present in federal funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), faculty at MSI face compounding challenges in receiving external funding, leading to fewer MSI faculty receiving funding than those from research-intensive institutions. For this reason, the Engineering Education Research (EER) community has sought avenues to prioritize MSI faculty's support in preparing federal grant proposals, including collaboration. To understand the impacts of collaboration on MSI faculty, we investigated the following research question: To what extent does collaboration influence federal grant submissions for MSI faculty, and how can it be further supported?

We approach this question using data from MSI faculty who participated in the Capacity Building for Research at Minority Serving Institutions (CyBR-MSI) initiative, a collection of six programs funded by the NSF and implemented by the American Society for Engineering Education that were intended to boost the capacity of MSI faculty to prepare and submit competitive federal grant proposals. Utilizing a mixed methods approach through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we analyzed both interview (n = 5) and survey data (n = 72) across a range of participating faculty from various MSI types. The results of our study provide evidence that faculty who indicated they expanded their network as an outcome of program participation also received higher numbers of federal grants after participation. Our qualitative results provide further evidence that MSI faculty were likely to submit more federal grant proposals when they collaborated with other MSI faculty outside of their home institution. Additional qualitative data on the CyBR-MSI initiative suggests that faculty can further benefit from more opportunities to network with MSI faculty who are experienced in obtaining federal funding. These results provide evidence for the value of building community and networking opportunities for MSI faculty who are preparing federal grant proposals. These results can further be used to support and refine programs that promote collaborations between MSI faculty within the engineering and STEM fields more broadly.

Authors

Ms. Randi Sims http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6380-2460 Clemson University [biography]

Randi is a current Ph.D. student in the department of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University. Her research interests center around undergraduate research experiences using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Her career goals are to work as an evaluator or consultant on educationally based research projects with an emphasis on statistical analyses and big data.
Kelsey Watts http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-4481-6303 University of Virginia [biography]

Kelsey Watts is a postdoc at the University of Virginia in Biomedical Engineering. She is committed to developing more inclusive teaching and research practices.
Ms. Abigail T Stephan http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4418-6586 Clemson University [biography]

Dr. Abigail (Abby) Stephan is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and an affiliated faculty member at the Institute for Engaged Aging at Clemson University in South Carolina. Her research explores a) the influence of intergenerational relationships in family, community, and educational contexts on learning, development, and well-being across the lifespan and b) examines social and psychological factors that promote healthy aging. In addition to taking an ecological, systems-oriented perspective, her work often employs a mixed methods design and is interdisciplinary, drawing from gerontology and aging studies, family and community science, developmental psychology, youth development, education, anthropology, and sociology. She earned her Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) credential to further the translation of research to applied settings.

Beyond research, Dr. Stephan is committed to advancing the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based educational opportunities that support learners across the lifespan. Two primary avenues for this work include a) creating resources and fostering mentorship opportunities to ensure high-quality training exists for current and future professionals in the field of gerontology and b) promoting lifelong learning through engaging and fulfilling learning experiences for older adults.
Ms. Thien Ngoc Y Ta Arizona State University, Polytechnic Campus [biography]

Thien Ta is an educational program evaluator for Quality Evaluation Designs. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in Vietnam and the U.S. She has taught at Cao Thang Technical College for seven years in Vietnam.
Mrs. Alexandra Sharpe American Society for Engineering Education [biography]

Alexandra Sharpe is the Director of Education and Career Development at the American Society of Education (ASEE). In this role, she serves as PI and co-PI on 5+ National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded grants and oversees a portfolio of educational programs for engineering educators, including stakeholder convenings, workshops and courses, and webinars. An experienced instructional designer, Alexandra launched ASEE Learning Services in 2020, which offers professional development programming for engineering faculty, students, and staff. Alexandra holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from Seton Hall University and a B.A. in History from Rider University. Prior to joining ASEE in 2016, Alexandra worked at the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and the Society for Neuroscience (SfN).
Dr. Gary Lichtenstein Arizona State University [biography]

Gary Lichtenstein, Ed.D., is founder and principal of Quality Evaluation Designs, a firm specializing in education research and program evaluation.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025