New partnerships with minority-serving institutions are designed to improve the count while training young scientists
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Census Bureau is teaming up with six
minority-serving higher education institutions to enlist help with its
data collection efforts for Census 2000 and to expand research
opportunities for minority students and faculty. The initiative was
announced at the Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) national
conference held in San Juan Puerto Rico, April 29 – May 2.
Schools teaming up with the Census Bureau are Bowie State
University, Spelman College, Xavier University, Ogala Lakota College,
University of Texas-El Paso, and Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto
Rico. The six MIE institutions are part of a National Science
Foundation (NSF)/National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
programs that works with schools serving African American, Hispanic,
and Native American student populations.
Through their faculty and students, the schools have committed to
providing data collection support, mobilizing community support for
Census 2000, helping with volunteer recruitment efforts, and promoting
Census projects. The Census Bureau, in turn, will provide research data
to the schools, make job and internship opportunities available to
students and faculty, and provide promotional materials for Census 2000.
LaVerne Collins, a spokesperson for the Census Bureau, says details
of the school partnerships are still being ironed out, but she predicts
that activities should begin during the fall of the coming academic
year. Collins expects the schools will help the bureau develop a
nationwide outreach program that will target the college student
population for inclusion in Census 2000.
“We would like to have a program where the students would develop
an outreach program targeting other students around the country,” she
said. “I’m hoping we can move right ahead with [the outreach
initiative] in the fall.”
Collins added that the partnerships are intended to become
permanent so that the schools can continue to take advantage of Census
data and employment opportunities after the census is completed for the
year 2000.
