involved only mundane administrative tasks and/or they experienced a lack of encouragement. At the postdoctoral level, approximately 50% of minority T32 (institutional grant) trainees reported having no mentor at all. 4. Compared with non-minority trainees, minorities published fewer papers, reported less social integration in laboratories, and had greater difficulty securing employment after receipt of the doctoral degree, (NAS, pp. 6-9).
M a n y u n d er g radu ate train ees reported their “research” experience either involved only m undane administrative tasks and/or they experienced a lack of encouragement. At the postdoctoral level, approximately 50% of minority T32 (institutional grant) trainees reported having no mentor at all.
In response to these findings, NAS recommended that “NIH should commit to continued funding of minority-research training programs” (NAS, p. 9). NAS also recommended a variety of NIH program improvement administrative actions including additional program assessment efforts and development of a relational database of a minimum data set on progress and outcomes of all (minority and non-minority) NIH-funded trainees. In light of the NAS report, the remainder of this article examines federal ethnic minority recruitment, retention and training strategies as revealed by recent reports and policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation’s NSF initially developed a number of (NSF) focus on minority education initiatives targeted to the support of minority and training is derived from students and researchers (e.g., fellowships, language in its 1980 congressional grants, etc). However, as anti-affirmative re authorization that explicitly action sentiments and related legal decisions charged the agency with the r e s p o n s ib ility fo r in c re a s in g intensified, NSF increased its focus on participation of ethnic minorities and institutionally-based strategies (vs. grants to other groups historically individuals) for minority training. underrepresented in science and engineering (Natalicio & Menger, 1999). Consequently NSF initially developed a number of initiatives targeted to the support of minority students and researchers (e.g., fellowships, grants, etc). However, as anti-affirmative action sentiments and related legal decisions intensified, NSF increased its focus on institutionally-based strategies (vs. grants to individuals) for minority training.
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