HBCUs:

America’s 

Innovative 

Asset

30 July 2020

Victor McCrary, PhD

VP for Research

victor.mccrary@udc.edu

202-274-7443
MINORITY SERVING 

INSTITUTIONS: 

America’s Underutilized 

Resource for

Strengthening the STEM 

Workforce

Free report available at:

https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25257
Authoring Committee

LORELLE ESPINOSA, co-Chair, American Council on 

Education

KENT MCGUIRE, co-Chair, William and Flora 

Hewlett Foundation

JIM BERTIN, Chief Dull Knife College

ANTHONY CARPI, John Jay College, CUNY

APRILLE ERICSSON, NASA Goddard Space Flight 

Center

LAMONT HAMES, LMH Strategies Inc.

WESLEY HARRIS, Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology

EVE HIGGINBOTHAM, University of Pennsylvania

SPERO MANSON, University of Colorado Denver

JAMES MINOR, California State University

LEO MORALES, University of Washington School of 

Medicine

ANNE-MARIE NÚÑEZ, The Ohio State University

CLIFTON POODRY, Howard Hughes Medical 

Institute

WILLIAM SPRIGGS, American Federation of Labor 

and Congress of Industrial Organizations; Howard 

University

VICTOR TAM, Santa Rosa Junior College

CRISTINA VILLALOBOS, University of Texas Rio 

Grande Valley

DOROTHY YANCY, President Emerita of Shaw 

University and Johnson C. Smith University

LANCE SHIPMAN YOUNG, Morehouse University
MSI Types

–Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

– Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)

–Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

– Asian American and Native American Pacific IslanderServing Institutions (AANAPISIs)

– Alaska Native-Serving and Hawaiian Serving(ANNHIs)

– Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs)

–Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs)
Contributions and Reach

• Roughly 700 two- and four-year colleges and universities, enrolling 

nearly 30 percent of all undergraduates in U.S. higher education

• Constitute nearly a third of all two-year institutions or looked at 

another way, over half of all MSIs are two-year institutions

• More undergraduate students (from all backgrounds) are enrolled 

in STEM fields at four-year MSIs than at four-year non-MSIs

• Taken together, HBCUs, HSIs, and AANAPISIs produce one fifth 

(20%) of the nation’s STEM bachelor’s degrees
HBCU: Fast Facts*

* Source: UNCF

• 101 Accredited HBCUs

• HBCUs are 3% of the Nation’s Colleges & 

Universities

• HBCUs enroll 10% of the Nations Black 

students (300,000)

• HBCUs produce 20% of all Black graduates

• HBCUs generate $14.8B in economic impact 

• HBCUs account for 24% of Blacks in STEM 

fields (30% in engineering at the bachelors 

level)

• The top eight institutions which produced 

Blacks who went on for STEM PhDs were 

HBCUs
HBCUs: Where Are They Located
University

Carnegie 

Designation

2020

Moody’s 

Rating

Research

Expenditures 

(2018)

NSF*

Expenditures

(2018)

NSF* 

Expenditures

(2016)

Endowment

(2016-2019)

Clark-Atlanta R2 Ba2 $8M $1.9M $1.5M $69M

Delaware State R2 Aa3 $21M $3.3M $5.4M $28.6M

FAMU R2 Baa1 $40M $3.0M $2.4M $98M

Hampton R2 Aa2 $14M $3.2M $3.8M $263.2M

Howard R2 Ba1 $46M $6.7M $7.8M $692.8M

Jackson State R2 Aa2 $19M $6.5M $6.0M $60M

North Carolina 

A&T R2 A1 $38M $8.6M $7.5M $57M

Morgan State R2 A1 $13M $1.0M $1.0M $32.9M

Tennessee State R2 Aa1 $18M $1.7M $1.6M $51M

Texas Southern R2 Baa3 $4M $0.5M $0.8M $54M

UDC M2 Aaa $2.9M

(FY19 = $4.8M)

$0.86M

(FY19=$1.014M) $0.86M $51M (FY19)

UMES R2 Aa1 $5M $0.0M $0.0M $26.2M

* Source: National Science Foundation FY18 HERD Survey
ABET ACCREDITED ENGINEERING HBCUs

• Alabama A&M University (M1)

• Florida A&M University (R2)

• Hampton University (R2)

• Howard University (R2)

• Jackson State University (R2)

• North Carolina A&T State 

University (R2) 

• Morgan State University (R2)

• Norfolk State University (M2)

• Prairie View A&M University 

(M1)

• Southern University & A&M 

College (M1)

• Tennessee State University (R2)

• Tuskegee University (M2)

• University of the District of 

Columbia (M2)

• University of Maryland – Eastern 

Shore (R2)

• Virginia State University (M2) 9
NASA and MUREP 

Investments and Engagement 

at Historically Black Colleges and Universities 

Investment FY 2016 – FY 2018 / Engagement FY 2019 – FY2020
Funding from Agency to MSIs 

(By Institution Type)

Out of the AGENCY dollars that went to all MSIs, what percentage went to each MSI type?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19

HBCU TCU HSI AANAPISI AIANSI PBI ANNH NASNTI

Note: ANNH and NASNTI did not exist as a separate category in 2018.

This chart further analyzes the funds that were awarded to the Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) by MSI type. 

HBCU TCU HSI AANAPISI AIANSI PBI ANNH NASNTI

FY16 5% 1% 14% 50% 29% 1% 0% 0%

FY17 8% 1% 37% 43% 10% 1% 0% 0%

FY18 5% 0.35% 44% 45% 5% 0.20% 0% 0%

FY19 8% 0.54% 54% 18% 0% 0.40% 17% 2%
National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

MUREP FY2019 – FY2020 Engagement at HBCUs
CIAA Conference Support

President/Chancellor Meetings

Middle School Day

High School Day

Career Fair

Exhibit Booth

White House Initiative on HBCUs

Interagency Working Group

Student Engagement

Strategic Planning

Training Workshops/Sessions

Networking

NASA Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate (ARMD)

Two MUREP HighVolume Awardees –

Tuskegee/Virginia State; 

New Lead HBCU – North Carolina A&T

Additional Funding Opportunities

MUREP HBCU ENGAGEMENT
MSI Capability 

Gateway

https://msigateway.larc.nasa.gov/

Externally Available 

Database of MSIs

Listing of Research Capabilities

Searchable by HBCU

HBCU/MSI

Road Tour

Agency 1% Contracting 

Goal for MSIs

Training Workshops

Networking

Matchmaking

MUREP Institutional Research

Opportunity (MIRO)

Seven HBCUs funded

out of 20 Existing Awardees

MUREP HBCU ENGAGEMENT
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Research

Recent Awards

Professional Research 

Engagement 

Program (PREP)

$7M for 5 years

Advanced Manufacturing

Center for Advanced 

Manufacturing in Space 

Technology & Applied 

Research

$3M for 3 years

Advanced Manufacturing

Center of Research 

Excellence in Science & 

Technology (CREST)

$4.8M for 5 years 

Nanotechnology 

Research & Education

AMP3

Additive Manufacturing 

Post Processing 

Partnership

$2.8M for 3 years

UDC-led HBCU 

Consortium
UDC Research Faculty Recognition

BEYA Conference 2020 

February 13-15, 2020

UDC Visibility & Presence:

- Rodney Trapp – BEYA Seminar Moderator

- Pawan Tyagi – BEYA HBCU Innovator Awardee

- Lara Thompson – Tech Talk on Biomedical Engineering

- Exhibit Booth – School of Engineering

- ~ 40 UDC students participated

EAC Lead, Dr. Henry Molintas, Lead Mechanical 

Engineering for Department of Defense Innovation 

Program, Booz Allen Hamilton

Dr. Jack Price, Director of Research, Naval Surface 

Warfare Center, West Bethesda, MD

Susan E. Dunnings, the Vice President and 

Associate General Counsel, Employment and Labor 

Law, for Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Maryland

Walter Falconer, President of Space Consultant, 

member of the NOAA Science Advisory Board as 

well as the NASA JPL Science Advisory Board

Patrick Hill, Parker Solar Probe project manager, 

Space Department, Johns Hopkins University 

Applied Physics Laboratory

Michelle Pourciau, Former Director, Department of 

Transportation, Baltimore, MD

NASA External Advisory Committee 

Meeting February 7, 2020
17 17

TOTAL VALUE OF AGENCY AWARDS TO HBCUS

$21,860,373 $20,974,794

$18,983,663

$23,330,270

FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 FY2019

*FY2019 data is preliminary 
18

MUREP CONTRIBUTION 

TO HBCU AWARDS

MUREP Funded

$7,014,733

(32%)

Agency Funded

$14,845,640

(68%)

FY2016

MUREP Funded

$5,106,337

(24%)

Agency Funded

$15,868,457

(76%)

FY2017

MUREP Funded

$3,461,188

(18%)

Agency Funded

$15,522,475

(82%)

FY2018

MUREP Funded

$6,565,892

(28%)

Agency Funded

$16,764,378

(72%)

FY2019

*FY2019 data is preliminary 
19 19

NUMBER OF AGENCY AWARDS TO HBCUS

*FY2019 data is preliminary 

290

313

189

236

FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 FY2019
$65,073,411,000

$61,190,610,000

$542,471,000

0.83%

$465,922,000

$0

$10,000,000,000

$20,000,000,000

$30,000,000,000

$40,000,000,000

$50,000,000,000

$60,000,000,000

$70,000,000,000

2011 2010

Total U.S. R & D Expenditures in 2010 and 2011 

Total R&D Expenditures Total HBCU R&D Expenditures

0.83%

source: J. Lee, Association of Public & Land Grant Universities

Majority 

Universities

HBCUs 

(105)
University

Carnegie 

Designation

2020

Moody’s 

Rating

Research

Expenditures 

(2018)

NSF*

Expenditures

(2018)

NSF* 

Expenditures

(2016)

Endowment

(2016-2019)

Clark-Atlanta R2 Ba2 $8M $1.9M $1.5M $69M

Delaware State R2 Aa3 $21M $3.3M $5.4M $28.6M

FAMU R2 Baa1 $40M $3.0M $2.4M $98M

Hampton R2 Aa2 $14M $3.2M $3.8M $263.2M

Howard R2 Ba1 $46M $6.7M $7.8M $692.8M

Jackson State R2 Aa2 $19M $6.5M $6.0M $60M

North Carolina 

A&T R2 A1 $38M $8.6M $7.5M $57M

Morgan State R2 A1 $13M $1.0M $1.0M $32.9M

Tennessee State R2 Aa1 $18M $1.7M $1.6M $51M

Texas Southern R2 Baa3 $4M $0.5M $0.8M $54M

UDC M2 Aaa $2.9M

(FY19 = $4.8M)

$0.86M

(FY19=$1.014M) $0.86M $51M (FY19)

UMES R2 Aa1 $5M $0.0M $0.0M $26.2M

* Source: National Science Foundation FY18 HERD Survey
University

Carnegie 

Designation

2020

Moody’s 

Rating

Research

Expenditures 

(2018)

NSF 

Expenditures

(2018)

NASA

Expenditures

(2018)

Endowment

(2016-2019)

Clark-Atlanta R2 Ba2 $8M $1.9M $0.0M $69M

Delaware State R2 Aa3 $21M $3.3M $1.0M $28.6M

FAMU R2 Baa1 $40M $3.0M $0.083M $98M

Hampton R2 Aa2 $14M $3.2M $5.6M $263.2M

Howard R2 Ba1 $46M $6.7M $0.25M $692.8M

Jackson State R2 Aa2 $19M $6.5M $0.15M $60M

North Carolina 

A&T R2 A1 $38M $8.6M $0.3M $57M

Morgan State R2 A1 $13M $1.0M $4.4M $32.9M

Tennessee State R2 Aa1 $18M $1.7M $0.065M $51M

Texas Southern R2 Baa3 $4M $0.5M $0.050M $54M

UDC M2 Aaa $2.9M

(FY19 = $4.8M)

$0.86M

(FY19=$1.014M)

$0.033M

(FY19= $0.0M) $51M (FY19)

UMES R2 Aa1 $5M $0.0M $0.0M $26.2M

* Source: National Science Foundation FY18 HERD Survey
University

Carnegie 

Designation

2020

Research

Expenditures 

(2018)

NSF* 

Expenditures

(2018)

NASA* 

Expenditures

(2018)

Endowment

(2019)

Johns Hopkins R1 $2.2B $39M $264M $6.3B

U. Wash. R1 $989M $111M $20M $2.94B

U. Michigan R1 $850M $81M $29M $12.4B

Stanford R1 $711M $76M $22M $28B

UNC Chapel Hill R1 $701M $35M $1.8M $5B

U. Penn R1 $688M $45M $4.6M $14.7B

Columbia R1 $686M $87M $21M $11B

UC San Francisco R1 $669M $7.7M $0.5M $3.89B

Georgia Tech R1 $654M $66M $12.8M $2.17B

U. Pittsburgh R1 $649M $27.4M $1.1M $4.3B

Duke R1 $645M $38M $2.5M $3.8B

UC San Diego R1 $636M $82M $10M $1.73B

* Source: National Science Foundation FY18 HERD Survey
NSB Vision 2030 Task Force:

Roger Beachy, Chair

Ellen Ochoa, Vice Chair

Vicki Chandler

Bob Groves

Julia Phillips

Maria Zuber

nsf.gov/nsb/publications/vision2030.pdf

NSBVision@nsf.gov
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE: 

NSB ROADMAP

DELIVER BENEFITS 

FROM RESEARCH

DEVELOP STEM TALENT 

FOR AMERICA

EXPAND THE GEOGRAPHY

OF INNOVATION

FOSTER A GLOBAL S&E

COMMUNITY
Developing STEM talent for America

DEVELOP STEM 

TALENT FOR AMERICA

The U.S. must make education 

a federal, state, and local 

priority and hold itself 

accountable with reliable, 

up-to-date data. 
CONTEXT: U.S. SHARE OF R&D DECREASING

AS GLOBAL S&E GROWS

National Science Board

The Skilled Technical Workforce: Crafting America’s 

Science & Engineering Enterprise

Victor McCrary, VP for Research & Graduate Programs,

University of the District of Columbia; Vice-Chair, National Science Board

National Science Board
National Science Board

• Increased need for S&T skills and 

knowledge across many sectors and 

at all educational levels

• National prosperity and security in a 

competitive, S&T-intensive world

• Long-term health of the U.S. S&E 

enterprise

• Near-term workforce needs

• Opportunities for all Americans

National Science Board

Why is NSB Focusing on the STW?
National Science Board
National Science Board

STW Data Portrait

Science & Engineering Indicators 2020, “S&E Labor Force” 

(forthcoming) 0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

$35,000

$40,000

$45,000

$50,000

Skilled technical

workers

All other workers

Salary Unemployment rate

Workers with high school or some post-secondary training: 2017
National Science Board

STW Data Portrait
National Science Board

2017

First NSB discussion 

on STW

February 2017

Senate Hearing: Closing 

the Skills Gap and 

Boosting US 

Competitiveness

March 2017

Momentum

2018 2019

NASEM Report: 

“Building America’s 

Skilled Technical 

Workforce”

May 2017

NSB Meeting: STW 

Panel

August 2017

NSB Listening 

Session: Baton 

Rouge Community 

College

October 2017

House Briefing: “Blue 

Collar STEM: The 

Future of the U.S. 

Workforce”

November 2017

2017 Blue Collar 

STEM 

Conference 

NSB STW Task Force

Established 

November 2017

House Hearing: 

Innovations in STEM 

Mentoring, Training, 

and Apprenticeships

February 2018

NSB Policy Statement: 

“Our Nation’s Future 

Competitiveness Relies 

on Building a STEMCapable US Workforce

February 2018

NSB Listening 

Session: Macomb 

Community College

April 2018

NSB Listening 

Session: Community 

College Innovation 

Challenge

June 2018

Executive Order: 

“Establishing the 

President’s National 

Council for the 

American Worker”

July 2018

NSB Listening 

Session: Florence 

Darlington Technical 

College

September 2018

November 2017

NSB Listening Session: 

Advanced 

Technological 

Education Conference

October 2018

White House 5-year STEM 

Education Strategic Plan

December 2018

2018 Blue Collar 

STEM 

Conference 

November 2018

NASEM Report: 

“MSIs: America’s 

Underutilized 

Resource for 

Strengthening the 

STEM Workforce”

December 2018

NSF Dear Colleague 

Letter for Convergence 

Accelerator pilots: “AI 

and Future Jobs” & 

“National Talent 

Ecosystem

March 2019

NSB STW Report

Release

September 2019

June 2019

American 

Workforce Policy 

Advisory Board 

Priorities 

Released
National Science Board

Systemic Challenges and Opportunities

• Designing STW education to meet the needs of individuals

• Building partnerships among industry, government, and 

educational institutions to leverage resources and knowledge, and 

respond to local industry/community needs

• Conveying accurate information about the STW, including 

employment and career opportunities

• Addressing data gaps and data silos to maximize effectiveness of 

programs and initiatives
National Science Board

Recommendations

• Change the Message: The NSB and NSF, and other S&E leaders should 

communicate the importance of the STW to the nation’s S&E 

enterprise, individual economic prosperity, national security, and U.S. 

global competitiveness

• Focus on the Data: To understand and begin to address data gaps, 

NSF’s NCSES, with additional federal resources and collaborating with 

other statistical agencies, should collect nationally representative 

data on the education, skills, and workforce characteristics of the 

STW. NSF should promote partnerships between governmental and 

non-governmental (industry, academia) stakeholders in the STW to 

share data and develop tools for public use and workforce planning.
National Science Board

S&E associate's degrees awarded in the U.S., by field: 2000–17

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Computer sciences

Social sciences

Engineering

Biological and agricultural sciences

Mathematics and statistics

Physical sciences

Psychology
National Science Board

Recommendations

• Leverage the Portfolio of Federal Investments: NSF should conduct a full 

portfolio analysis of its STW investments. The analysis could publicize and 

inform stakeholders about the breadth of NSF’s contributions to the STW, 

build awareness of funding opportunities, and maximize and leverage the 

impact of these investments.

• Build Partnerships: Two-year colleges and four-year colleges (e.g. HBCUs) 

and universities should work as partners, together with business, to grow 

the STEM-capable U.S. workforce via programs tailored to the needs of 

local communities. Policymakers can encourage this by developing federal 

programs that require partnership participation from stakeholders in 

multiple sectors.
National Science Board

Points to Consider Going Forward - PCAST

• Focus on nurturing, diverse domestic STEM talent:

- Establish research centers at HBCUs/MSIs for national priorities in 

AI, quantum information processing, and cyber

- Programs to introduce students early to National Security R&D and 

the value of holding a security clearance
The Value Proposition of HBCUs:

“We Are Essential for the National Security 

of the US Research Enterprise” 

Science and Engineering Indicators 2018

Omnibus Budget, signed into law March 23, 2018
Dr. Vic’s ‘Asks’ of the UAG

• UAG members visit NASA-funded HBCUs this year

• Increase NASA’s budget commitment to HBCUs (from <1% to 

2%) for FY21

• Partner w/ NSF/AFOSR/ONR/ARO to leverage HBCU budget 

portfolios & programs for FY21

• NASA Administrator meet new NSF Director to discuss 

building research capacity at HBCUs – next 30 days- DONE
Thank You

Victor McCrary, PhD

VP for Research & Graduate Programs

202-274-7443

victor.mccrary@udc.edu