NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is interim president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is the president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and interim vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
This is a report of work supported by Contract No. NASW-4820 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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COMMITTEE ON THE FEASIBILITY OF A NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Eugene H. Cota-Robles, Chair Emeritus Professor of Biology
University of California, Santa Cruz
Carlos Guiterrez, Vice Chair Professor of Chemistry
California State University, Los Angeles
Sandy Baum Chair,
Department of Economics
Professor of Economics
Skidmore College
Sarita Brown Senior Fellow
Office of Minorities in Higher Education
Principal Partner,
Education Trust American Council on Education
Freeman Hrabowski President
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Vinetta Jones National Director,
EQUITY 2000 College Entrance Examination Board
Franklin Smith Superintendent of Schools
District of Columbia
H. Guyford Stever Member,
National Academy of Sciences
Member,
National Academy of Engineering
Melvin R. Webb Director,
Atlanta Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities Clark Atlanta University
Robert K. Whitman Ph.D. candidate,
Electrical Engineering School of Engineering University of Colorado, Boulder
STAFF
Sharon Bush Project Officer
OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING PERSONNEL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Linda S. Wilson, Chair President,
Radcliffe College
Ernest Jaworski, Vice Chair
Monsanto Company (retired)
Betsy Ancker-Johnson Vice President,
Environmental Activities General Motors (retired)
David Breneman Dean
Curry School of Education University of Virginia
David L. Goodstein Vice Provost Professor of Physics and Applied Physics
California Institute of Technology
M. R. C. Greenwood Chancellor
University of California, Santa Cruz
Carlos Guiterrez Professor of Chemistry
California State University, Los Angeles
Lester A. Hoel Hamilton Professor of Civil Engineering
University of Virginia
Judith S. Liebman Professor of Operations Research
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Barry Munitz Chancellor
The California State University
Janet Norwood Senior Fellow
The Urban Institute
Ewart A. C. Thomas Professor of Psychology
Stanford University
John D. Wiley Provost Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Wisconsin, Madison
William H. Miller, ex-officio
Department of Chemistry University of California, Berkeley
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF
Charlotte Kuh Executive Director
Marilyn J. Baker Associate Executive Director
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Committee wishes to express its great appreciation for the extraordinary effort made by Sharon Bush, who served as the National Research Council 's program officer for the study, in the preparation of this report. Her devoted attention to the project made her the Committee's greatest resource. The Committee is most grateful for the important role that Charlotte Kuh, Executive Director of the Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel (OSEP), played as a facilitator in the final stages of the study. The report benefited from the advice and assistance of Marilyn Baker, Associate Executive Director of OSEP, who helped in its completion, and from the thoughtful comments and suggestions of Barry Munitz of the OSEP Advisory Committee. Pamela Lohof provided excellent editorial assistance and prepared the manuscript for publication.
Finally, without the encouragement of Frank Owens from NASA, it would have easily been possible for the Committee to have lost heart as it wrestled with its charge. His vision and determination to have a detailed design for the National Scholars Program made this report possible.
Eugene Cota-Robles
Committee Chair