CRA Best Practices Memo on Minority Serving Institution Engagement in Computing Research

Engaging Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in research collaborations and student recruitment is a common recommendation for broadening participation in computing. These engagements are most productive if they are approached intentionally to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership. The CRA Best Practices Memo on Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Engagement in Computing Research was created through the joint effort of the Computing Research Association (CRA) and its CRA-Widening Participation (CRA-WP) subcommittee to provide an overview of some high level best practices to consider for productive partnerships with MSIs. The report was written by Dr. Kinnis Gosha, Morehouse College; Dr. Maria Gini, University of Minnesota; Dr. Patricia Morreale, Kean University; and reviewed by experts that represent MSIs, research-heavy institutions, and other relevant organizations. 

The report details best practices for how faculty at research-intensive non-minority-serving institutions and industry partners can engage with MSIs and form mutually beneficial partnerships. . The report is divided into two sections – the first is about engaging and collaborating with MSI faculty and the second is about MSI student recruitment and relationship building. 

To effectively engage MSI faculty, this report highlights the need to understand the needs and context of MSI faculty noting that there is a wide range of factors to consider. Recognizing the heavy teaching loads and administrative responsibilities of MSI faculty is essential. To facilitate collaboration, researchers should offer compensation for student recruitment efforts and support capacity-building initiatives that align with the MSI’s long-term goals. When forming collaborations for research proposals, it is important to reach out to MSI colleagues as early in the process as possible and explore their participation in all parts of the proposed project without the assumption that they would only participate in BPC, outreach, and education related components. 

In collaborating with MSIs for student recruitment, it is important to plan intentional campus visits and communicate the details of programs that are recruiting clearly and honestly. To encourage student participation in these visits, offering incentives like food and swag can enhance the experience. It is also important to know about factors that contribute to retaining students and to incorporate information about these into the recruitment conversations.  

Click here to view the full report with the detailed list of best practices on engagement and collaboration with MSI faculty and recruiting MSI students.

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