DRAFT ABSTRACT

UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, MAYAGUEZ FACULTY VISIT

Given the following facts:

• Hispanics are the fastest growing minority segment in the population at large, and will soon become the largest minority group in the United States.



• Federal employment of Hispanics has not kept pace with the changing demographics and as a group they are significantly underrepresented in the Federal Workforce. As a group, Hispanics are severely underrepresented at the Department of Commerce and NOAA.



• The White House and the Office of Personnel Management have made an extensive push for Federal Agencies to reach out to and support Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) (in the case of HSIs' through Executive Order 12900, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans).



• The Department of Commerce has strongly encouraged Bureaus to reach out to and support MSIs. Particular emphasis has been given to increasing the number of grants at NOAA that are awarded to MSIs.



• On December 21, 1998, Dr. Baker issued an Affirmative Employment Plan for GS-13s and above. One of the long term action items in this plan includes "Establishing and nurturing academic relationships (with MSIs) ...."



• On September 30, 1999, Secretary Daley issued a DOC Hispanic Employment Plan, which includes timetables for improving the Department's recruitment and employment, development and retention of Hispanic employees. One tenet requires that each DOC Bureau enter into partnerships with five Hispanic Serving Institutions within 180 days.



• The NOAA Civil Rights Office (CRO) is one of the lead offices on initiatives and issues relating to Minority Serving Institutions that have NOAA wide impact (with assistance from the Line Offices EEO Program Managers) and is charged with tracking such issues, as well as issues relating to the employment of minorities, women and People with Disabilities.



• NOAA (OAR, NMFS, NOS, NESDIS) has historical ties to the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM), particularly in the area of Sea Grant. Todate, there has been no NOAA wide monitoring or coordination of projects or activities with the University.



• NOAA Management recognizes that it is in the agency's best interest to work with UPRM and to formalize and expand the relationship.

Memorandum of Understanding Background

In the Fall of 1998 the Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, wrote a letter inviting Dr. Baker and NOAA to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the University. In the letter, the Chancellor writes that he was aware of NOAA's interest in sharing resources and developing national and international partnerships. He also writes that he read Dr. Baker's remarks made at the annual Board Meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). It occurred to him after reading these remarks that UPRM and NOAA had mutual interest areas. In his letter, the Chancellor emphasized that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, is the only Hispanic Serving Institution (from a list of approximately 135) that offers graduate degrees in Marine Sciences, and is the only institution of higher education in the Caribbean offering courses in oceanography (physical and chemical), marine geology, marine biology, subaquatic technology, ecology, marine invertebrates, experimental marine biology, aquaculture, and fisheries.

The NOAA CRO has been charged with getting the MOU off the ground and through its implementation phase. The CRO has been working within NOAA to get the MOU approved and sanctioned, and has simultaneously been building a working relationship with UPRM officials, including those from the Office of the Chancellor and the Department of Marine Sciences, in anticipation of Dr. Baker's approval and support for the MOU. In June, 1999, several NOAA employees visited the UPRM Campus; met University Administration, Department of Marine Sciences, and College of Engineering Faculty, and even visited the DMS' Facilities/laboratory on Magueyes Island.

In July, 1999, per the suggestion of the NOAA Civil Rights Office, and in an effort to educate NOAA scientists and management about UPRM, particularly the DMS, the University provided a "Capabilities Statement" to NOAA for consideration. This Capabilities Statement summarizes the research of faculty members in the Department of Marine Science, and the College of Engineering that would be of interest to NOAA. This Capabilities Statement was distributed by Dr. Baker to the Deputy Administrators on August 17, 1999.

On September 21, 1999, Dr. Baker signed the Memorandum of Understanding. On October18, 1999, UPRM Chancellor, Dr. Zulma R. Toro-Ramos signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of UPRM.

The UPRM Faculty Visit

Originally intended to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs between September 15 and October 15, NOAA (through the NOAA CRO) has invited UPRM Faculty members from the Department of Marine Sciences and the College of Engineering to present and discuss research that they feel would be of interest to NOAA. The CRO proposed a two day visit to NOAA Headquarters: October 20 and 21, 1999. Due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Jose, the visit has been postponed until November 9 and 10, 1999. The first day would consist of (1) the formal presentation of the MOU; (2) Faculty presentations and discussion on areas of interest to NOAA (morning); (3) NOAA presentations and discussion about ongoing projects, or potential projects with UPRM (afternoon); and (4) a thirty minute to one hour reception/networking session. The second day of the visit is to consist of tours of NOAA facilities (NOS and NESDIS), as well as one hour "dialogues" with individual Line Office Management.

The faculty are being "sponsored" by NOAA (CRO). NESDIS and NOS have provided additional monies to the CRO for the sponsorship of two faculty members.

Objectives of Faculty Visit

Objectives of this two day visit include:

• formally recognizing and introducing the MOU to NOAA employees;



• creating a forum for UPRM to present and discuss their research before NOAA management, scientists, and other interested parties;



• providing an opportunity for managers and scientists across NOAA to meet UPRM faculty and consider the institution's research capabilities; as well as providing an opportunity to discuss potential projects or research in areas of mutual interest.

Target Audience: Any NOAA employee (scientist, manager, supervisor) who is interested in learning more about the MOU; the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. Employees who are currently working on projects involving the University of Puerto Rico, and any employee who envisions working with UPRM, are strongly encourage to attend.

Research Topics to Be Presented

Dr. Nilda Aponte, Interim Director, Department of Marine Sciences, one of two primary UPRM contacts (the other being Dr. Laura R. Cotte Emmanuelli, Director, Office for International and External Affairs) suggested the following research topics and faculty be presented to a NOAA audience (based on her assessment of what topics would appeal to NOAA management and scientists):

NOTE: For additional information about these topics, please see the brief description in the attachment that follows.

In addition to faculty from the Department of Marine Sciences, two individuals from the College of Engineering are going to be presenting:

      Dr. Linda Velez-Rodríguez, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) research projects with
      NOAA, NASA, USDA-Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
      Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Following the UPRM Faculty Presentations, a NOAA-wide panel of managers and scientists will have the opportunity to (1) provide an update on projects and activities that currently involve UPRM; and/or (2) present informal proposals or information about a potential project that would/could involve UPRM.