New partnerships with minority-serving institutions are designed to improve the count while training young scientists

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Census Bureau is teaming up with six minority-serving higher education institutions to enlist help with its data collection efforts for Census 2000 and to expand research opportunities for minority students and faculty. The initiative was announced at the Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) national conference held in San Juan Puerto Rico, April 29 - May 2.

Schools teaming up with the Census Bureau are Bowie State University, Spelman College, Xavier University, Ogala Lakota College, University of Texas-El Paso, and Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto Rico. The six MIE institutions are part of a National Science Foundation (NSF)/National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) programs that works with schools serving African American, Hispanic, and Native American student populations.

Through their faculty and students, the schools have committed to providing data collection support, mobilizing community support for Census 2000, helping with volunteer recruitment efforts, and promoting Census projects. The Census Bureau, in turn, will provide research data to the schools, make job and internship opportunities available to students and faculty, and provide promotional materials for Census 2000.

LaVerne Collins, a spokesperson for the Census Bureau, says details of the school partnerships are still being ironed out, but she predicts that activities should begin during the fall of the coming academic year. Collins expects the schools will help the bureau develop a nationwide outreach program that will target the college student population for inclusion in Census 2000.

"We would like to have a program where the students would develop an outreach program targeting other students around the country," she said. "I'm hoping we can move right ahead with [the outreach initiative] in the fall."