I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4483 
To authorize the Director of the National Science Foundation to provide 
grants to institutions of higher education for implementing or expanding 
reforms in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathe-
matics (STEM) education in order to increase the number of students 
from underrepresented minority groups receiving degrees in these fields, 
and to recruit, retain, and advance STEM faculty members from under-
represented minority groups at institutions of higher education. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 24, 2012 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Ms. WILSON of Florida, 
Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. REYES, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CON-
YERS, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. HINOJOSA, and Ms. FUDGE) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology 
A BILL 
To authorize the Director of the National Science Founda-
tion to provide grants to institutions of higher education 
for implementing or expanding reforms in undergraduate 
science, 
technology, 
engineering, 
and 
mathematics 
(STEM) education in order to increase the number of 
students from underrepresented minority groups receiv-
ing degrees in these fields, and to recruit, retain, and 
advance STEM faculty members from underrepresented 
minority groups at institutions of higher education. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Broadening Participa-
tion in STEM Education Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) One of the National Science Foundation’s 
core missions is ‘‘to achieve excellence in U.S. 
science, technology, engineering and mathematics 
(STEM) education’’. 
(2) STEM education at the undergraduate level 
is vital to developing a workforce that will allow the 
United States to remain the leader in the 21st cen-
tury global economy. 
(3) In 2007, underrepresented minority groups 
comprised 33.2 percent of the college-age population 
of the United States, but only 17.7 percent of un-
dergraduate students earning bachelor’s degrees in 
STEM fields. 
(4) The Higher Education Research Institute at 
the University of California, Los Angeles, found 
that, while freshmen from underrepresented minority 
groups express an interest in pursuing a STEM un-
dergraduate degree at the same rate as all other 
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freshmen, only 22.1 percent of Latino students, 18.4 
percent of African-American students, and 18.8 per-
cent of Native American students studying in STEM 
fields complete their degree within 5 years, com-
pared to an approximate 33 percent and 42 percent 
5-year completion rate for White and Asian stu-
dents, respectively. 
(5) Statistics are particularly alarming in spe-
cific STEM fields. For example, even though under-
represented minorities make up approximately 33 
percent of the college-age population, according to 
an analysis of National Science Foundation data 
performed by the National Action Council for Mi-
norities in Engineering, students from underrep-
resented minority groups earned only 13 percent of 
all engineering degrees in 2009. 
(6) Underrepresented minority groups currently 
make up about 29 percent of the United States pop-
ulation. However, only about 8 percent of tenure- 
track science and engineering faculty members at 
universities and 4-year colleges and less than 1 per-
cent of tenure-track science and engineering faculty 
members at the top 100 research universities in the 
United States are from underrepresented minority 
groups. 
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(7) Students from underrepresented minority 
groups at institutions of higher education who see 
few others ‘‘like themselves’’ among faculty and stu-
dent populations often do not experience the social 
integration that is necessary for success in all dis-
ciplines, including STEM. 
(8) The ability to connect students and faculty 
members from underrepresented minority groups has 
been demonstrated to be successful in increasing the 
achievement level of students from underrepresented 
minority groups studying in STEM fields. 
(9) The United States faces a demographic 
challenge with regard to STEM education: by 2050, 
52 percent of the college-age population of the 
United States will be from underrepresented minor-
ity groups. 
(10) If the percentage of students from under-
represented minority groups earning bachelor’s de-
grees in STEM fields does not significantly increase, 
the United States will face an acute shortfall in the 
overall number of students who earn degrees in 
STEM fields. 
(11) With this impending shortfall, and with 
the number of citizens of other countries earning de-
grees in STEM fields increasing, the comparative 
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advantage of the United States STEM workforce 
will diminish, and the United States will almost cer-
tainly lose its competitive edge in the 21st century 
global economy. 
SEC. 3. FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR BROADENING PARTICI-
PATION IN UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDU-
CATION. 
(a) GRANTS.—The Director shall award grants to in-
stitutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) to im-
plement or expand research-based reforms in under-
graduate STEM education for the purpose of recruiting 
and retaining students from minority groups who are 
underrepresented in STEM fields. 
(b) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants shall be 
awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi-
tive basis. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by grants 
under this section may include— 
(1) implementation or expansion of innovative, 
research-based approaches to broaden participation 
of underrepresented minority groups in STEM 
fields; 
(2) implementation or expansion of bridge, co-
hort, tutoring, or mentoring programs designed to 
enhance the recruitment and retention of students 
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from underrepresented minority groups in STEM 
fields; 
(3) implementation or expansion of outreach 
programs linking institutions of higher education 
and K–12 school systems in order to heighten 
awareness among pre-college students from under-
represented minority groups of opportunities in col-
lege-level STEM fields and STEM careers; 
(4) implementation or expansion of faculty de-
velopment programs focused on improving retention 
of undergraduate STEM students from underrep-
resented minority groups; 
(5) implementation or expansion of mechanisms 
designed to recognize and reward faculty members 
who demonstrate a commitment to increasing the 
participation of students from underrepresented mi-
nority groups in STEM fields; 
(6) expansion of successful reforms aimed at in-
creasing the number of STEM students from under-
represented minority groups beyond a single course 
or group of courses to achieve reform within an en-
tire academic unit, or expansion of successful reform 
efforts beyond a single academic unit to other 
STEM academic units within an institution of high-
er education; 
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(7) expansion of opportunities for students from 
underrepresented minority groups to conduct STEM 
research in industry, at Federal labs, and at inter-
national research institutions or research sites; 
(8) provision of stipends for students from 
underrepresented minority groups participating in 
research; 
(9) support for graduate students and postdoc-
toral fellows from underrepresented minority groups 
to participate in instructional or assessment activi-
ties at primarily undergraduate institutions, includ-
ing primarily undergraduate minority-serving insti-
tutions and two-year institutions of higher edu-
cation; and 
(10) other activities consistent with subsection 
(a), as determined by the Director. 
(d) SELECTION PROCESS.— 
(1) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher 
education (or consortia thereof) seeking a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the 
Director at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information and assurances as the Di-
rector may require. The application shall include, at 
a minimum— 
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(A) a description of the proposed reform 
effort; 
(B) a description of the research findings 
that will serve as the basis for the proposed re-
form effort or, in the case of applications that 
propose an expansion of a previously imple-
mented reform, a description of the previously 
implemented reform effort, including data about 
the 
recruitment, 
retention, 
and 
academic 
achievement of students from underrepresented 
minority groups; 
(C) evidence of an institutional commit-
ment to, and support for, the proposed reform 
effort, including a long-term commitment to im-
plement successful strategies from the current 
reform beyond the academic unit or units in-
cluded in the grant proposal; 
(D) a description of existing or planned in-
stitutional policies and practices regarding fac-
ulty hiring, promotion, tenure, and teaching as-
signment that reward faculty contributions to 
improving the education of students from 
underrepresented minority groups in STEM; 
and 
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(E) how the success and effectiveness of 
the proposed reform effort will be evaluated and 
assessed in order to contribute to the national 
knowledge base about models for catalyzing in-
stitutional change. 
(2) REVIEW
OF
APPLICATIONS.—In selecting 
grant recipients under this section, the Director 
shall consider, at a minimum— 
(A) the likelihood of success of the pro-
posed reform effort at the institution submit-
ting the application, including the extent to 
which the faculty, staff, and administrators of 
the institution are committed to making the 
proposed institutional reform a priority of the 
participating academic unit or units; 
(B) the degree to which the proposed re-
form effort will contribute to change in institu-
tional culture and policy such that greater value 
is placed on faculty engagement in the retention 
of students from underrepresented minority 
groups; 
(C) the likelihood that the institution will 
sustain or expand the proposed reform effort 
beyond the period of the grant; and 
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(D) the degree to which evaluation and as-
sessment plans are included in the design of the 
proposed reform effort. 
(3) PRIORITY.—For applications that include 
an expansion of existing reforms beyond a single 
academic unit, the Director shall give priority to ap-
plications for which a senior institutional adminis-
trator, such as a dean or other administrator of 
equal or higher rank, serves as the principal investi-
gator. 
(4) GRANT DISTRIBUTION.—The Director shall 
ensure, to the extent practicable, that grants award-
ed under this section are made to a variety of types 
of institutions of higher education, including two- 
year and minority-serving institutions of higher edu-
cation. 
(e) EDUCATION RESEARCH.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—All grants made under this 
section shall include an education research compo-
nent that will support the design and implementa-
tion of a system for data collection and evaluation 
of proposed reform efforts in order to build the 
knowledge base on promising models for increasing 
recruitment and retention of students from under-
represented minority groups in STEM education at 
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the undergraduate level across a diverse set of insti-
tutions. 
(2) DISSEMINATION.—The Director shall co-
ordinate with relevant Federal agencies in dissemi-
nating the results of the research under this sub-
section to ensure that best practices in broadening 
participation in STEM education at the under-
graduate level are made readily available to all insti-
tutions of higher education, other Federal agencies 
that support STEM programs, non-Federal funders 
of STEM education, and the general public. 
SEC. 4. FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR INCREASING DIVER-
SITY AMONG STEM FACULTY AT INSTITU-
TIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 
(a) GRANTS.—The Director shall award grants to in-
stitutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) for the 
development of innovative reform efforts designed to in-
crease the recruitment, retention, and advancement of in-
dividuals from underrepresented minority groups in aca-
demic STEM careers. 
(b) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants shall be 
awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi-
tive basis. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by grants 
under this section may include— 
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(1) institutional assessment activities, such as 
data analyses and policy review, in order to identify 
and address specific issues in the recruitment, reten-
tion, and advancement of faculty members from 
underrepresented minority groups; 
(2) implementation of institution-wide improve-
ments in workload distribution, such that faculty 
members from underrepresented minority groups are 
not disadvantaged in the amount of time available to 
focus on research, publishing papers, and engaging 
in other activities required to achieve tenure status 
and run a productive research program; 
(3) development and implementation of training 
courses for administrators and search committee 
members to ensure that candidates from underrep-
resented minority groups are not subject to implicit 
biases in the search and hiring process; 
(4) development and hosting of intra- or inter- 
institutional workshops to propagate best practices 
in recruiting, retaining, and advancing faculty mem-
bers from underrepresented minority groups; 
(5) professional development opportunities for 
faculty members from underrepresented minority 
groups; 
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(6) activities aimed at making undergraduate 
STEM students from underrepresented minority 
groups aware of opportunities for academic careers 
in STEM fields; 
(7) activities to identify and engage exceptional 
graduate students from underrepresented minority 
groups at various stages of their studies and to en-
courage them to enter academic careers; and 
(8) other activities consistent with subsection 
(a), as determined by the Director. 
(d) SELECTION PROCESS.— 
(1) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher 
education (or consortia thereof) seeking funding 
under this subsection shall submit an application to 
the Director at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information and assurances as the Di-
rector may require. The application shall include, at 
a minimum, a description of— 
(A) the reform effort that is being pro-
posed for implementation by the institution of 
higher education; 
(B) any available evidence of specific dif-
ficulties in the recruitment, retention, and ad-
vancement of faculty members from underrep-
resented minority groups in STEM academic 
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careers within the institution of higher edu-
cation submitting an application, and how the 
proposed reform effort would address such 
issues; 
(C) how the institution of higher education 
submitting an application plans to sustain the 
proposed reform effort beyond the duration of 
the grant; and 
(D) how the success and effectiveness of 
the proposed reform effort will be evaluated and 
assessed in order to contribute to the national 
knowledge base about models for catalyzing in-
stitutional change. 
(2) REVIEW
OF
APPLICATIONS.—In selecting 
grant recipients under this section, the Director 
shall consider, at a minimum— 
(A) the likelihood of success in under-
taking the proposed reform effort at the institu-
tion of higher education submitting the applica-
tion, including the extent to which the adminis-
trators of the institution are committed to mak-
ing the proposed reform effort a priority; 
(B) the degree to which the proposed re-
form effort will contribute to change in institu-
tional culture and policy such that greater value 
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is placed on the recruitment, retention, and ad-
vancement of faculty members from underrep-
resented minority groups; 
(C) the likelihood that the institution of 
higher education will sustain or expand the pro-
posed reform effort beyond the period of the 
grant; and 
(D) the degree to which evaluation and as-
sessment plans are included in the design of the 
proposed reform effort. 
(3) GRANT DISTRIBUTION.—The Director shall 
ensure, to the extent practicable, that grants award-
ed under this section are made to a variety of types 
of institutions of higher education. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Science Foundation. 
(2) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 
means the National Science Foundation established 
under section 2 of the National Science Foundation 
Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861). 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
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meaning given that term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(4) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means the 
academic and professional disciplines of science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
Æ 
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