H.R. 4372 — what changed

Evidence suggests that the supply of STEM workers is not keeping pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the public and private sector, resulting in a deficit often referred to as a STEM skills shortage.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States will need one million additional STEM professionals than it is on track to produce in the coming decade.

STEM occupations offer higher wages, more opportunities for advancement, and a higher degree of job security than non-STEM occupations.

The composition of the STEM workforce does not reflect the current or projected diversity of the Nation, with Hispanics, African Americans, and other racial and ethnic minorities, significantly underrepresented in the STEM workforce compared to their presence in the workforce more generally.

A stronger national commitment to increasing the diversity of the STEM workforce is needed to help address the STEM skills shortage.

HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs are highly successful at educating underrepresented minority students in STEM fields and can serve as best practice models for other colleges and universities to further expand participation of underrepresented minorities in the STEM workforce.

Increased investment in STEM infrastructure at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs has the potential to increase these institutions’ ability to educate even more students in the STEM disciplines.

With the demand for STEM skills exceeding the supply of STEM graduates, success of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in educating and training science and engineering leaders is increasingly important for United States economic growth and competitiveness.

In general— The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia thereof) to—

conduct research described in subsection (b) with respect to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs;

conduct activities described in subsection (c) to build the capacity of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to graduate students who are competitive in attaining and advancing in the STEM workforce;

build the research capacity and competitiveness of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in STEM disciplines; and

identify and broadly disseminate effective models for programs and practices at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs that promote the education and workforce preparation of minority students pursuing STEM studies and careers in which such students are underrepresented.

Research— Research described in this subsection is research on the contribution of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to the education and training of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields and to the meeting of national STEM workforce needs, including—

the diversity with respect to local context, cultural differences, and institutional structure among HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and any associated impact on education and research endeavors;

effective practices at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and associated outcomes on student recruitment, retention, and advancement in STEM fields, including the ability for students to compete for fellowships, employment, and advancement in the workforce;

contributions made by HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to local, regional, and national workforces;

the unique challenges and opportunities for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in attaining the resources needed for integrating effective practices in STEM education, including providing research experiences for underrepresented minority students;

the access of students at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to STEM infrastructure and any associated outcomes for STEM competency;

models of STEM curriculum, learning, and teaching successful at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs for increasing participation, retention, and success of underrepresented minority students; and

successful or promising partnerships between HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and other institutions of higher education, private sector and non-profit organizations, Federal laboratories, and international research institutions.

Capacity building— Activities described in this subsection include the design, development, implementation, expansion, and assessment of—

metrics of success to best capture the achievements of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and students of such institutions to account for institutional context and missions, faculty investment, student populations, student needs, and institutional resource constraints;

enhancements to undergraduate STEM curriculum at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to increase the participation, retention, degree completion, and success of underrepresented students;

professional development programs to increase the numbers and the high-quality preparation of STEM faculty at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, including programs to encourage STEM doctoral students to teach at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; and

mechanisms for institutions of higher education that are not HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs to partner with HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs on STEM education, including the facilitation of student transfer, mentoring programs for students and junior faculty, joint research projects, and student access to graduate education.

Research experiences— Grants under this section may fund the development or expansion of opportunities for the exchange of students and faculty to conduct research, including through partnerships with institutions of higher education that are not HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs, private sector and non-profit organizations, Federal laboratories, and international research institutions.

Partnerships— In awarding grants under this section, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall—

encourage HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and consortia thereof and partnerships with one or more HBCU, TCU, or MSI, to submit proposals;

require proposals submitted in partnership with one or more HBCU, TCU, or MSI include a plan for establishing a sustained partnership that is jointly developed and managed, draws from the capacities of each institution, and is mutually beneficial; and

encourage proposals submitted in partnership with the private sector, non-profit organizations, Federal laboratories, and international research institutions, as appropriate.

MSI Centers of Innovation— Grants under this section may fund the establishment of no more than five MSI Centers of Innovation to leverage successes of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in STEM education and research training of underrepresented minority students as models for other institutions, including both HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and institutions of higher education that are not HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs. Such centers will be located on campuses of selected institutions of higher education and serve as incubators to allow institutions of higher education to experiment, pilot, evaluate, and scale up promising practices.

Director— The term Director means the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Federal laboratory— The term Federal laboratory has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703).

Federal science agency— The term Federal science agency means any Federal agency with an annual extramural research expenditure of over $100,000,000.

HBCU— The term “HBCU” has the meaning given the term “part B institution” in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).

Institution of higher education— The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).

STEM— The term STEM has the meaning given the term in the STEM Education Act of 2015 (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.).

TCU— The term TCU has the meaning given the term Tribal College or University in section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c).