The country's Minority Serving Institutions are located throughout the country, as are our National Laboratories.
Who We Serve
Minority Serving Institutions are institutions of higher education that serve minority and underserved populations. They are unique both in their missions and in their day-to-day operations. Some of these colleges and universities are located in remote regions of the country, whereas others serve urban neighborhoods. Some minority-serving institutions are only a few decades old, whereas others, particularly the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, have been striving for more than a century to give their constituents the social and educational skills needed to overcome racial discrimination and limited economic opportunities.
Our Activities
We foster partnerships and serve as advocates for Minority Serving Institutions by engaging the Department's program offices, laboratories, and field sites in establishing business relationships with these institutions, including research opportunities, grants, or cooperative agreements. The successes of these partnerships are measured by the increased capability of Minority Serving Institutions to compete effectively for grants and contracts at the Department.
Energy Department Coordination
Our office serves as an advocate to increase the participation of Minority Serving Institutions in activities throughout the Department. To this end, we:
- Facilitate Department of Energy participation in conferences and workshops to highlight opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions to work with the Department and to foster partnerships between the Department, Minority Serving Institutions, and energy industries.
- Provide guidance on establishing partnerships with Minority Serving Institutions as well as assist in developing comprehensive minority education plans.
- Work routinely with program offices to increase Minority Serving Institutions participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
- Create, enforce, and track a Department-wide mandate to hold program offices accountable for program funding goals, which we aim to increase yearly.
Questions? Interested in partnering with us? Contact our staff.