NB23-01: Expanding Research Capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are institutions that were established prior to 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans (National Center for Education Statistics/NCES). This project will seek to strengthen, expand, and build the capacity for conducting research on retirement and disability policy at HBCUs. While additional details will be provided in the “Methods” section, at a high level the project will:
• Conduct a data workshop, primarily targeted at HBCU faculty: From personal experience, Viceisza can attest to the fact that while some faculty and students are likely to be interested in exploring this line of research, they will not be familiar with “where to start.” The primary purpose of this workshop will be to familiarize HBCU faculty and students with secondary data sources that can be used to explore research questions on retirement and disability policy. In short, the workshop is expected to spark interest by HBCU faculty and students to take the “research plunge.”
• Circulate a call for applications among HBCU constituents: During the past year, HBCU faculty were recruited in an ad hoc manner by tapping into a select subset of Viceisza’s personal networks. In the next phase, a formal call for applications will be circulated. Circulation will occur after the workshop as HBCU constituents’ interest will have been sparked as a result.
• Support HBCU faculty in the development of SSA proposals: The 2-3 most promising proposals will be identified from the applicant pool and developed for submission via the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Retirement and Disability Research Center (RDRC) to the Social Security Administration.