Report:

Conference Proceedings

Expanding Opportunities in Ocean Sciences

II. OVERVIEW OF THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The Expanding Opportunities in Ocean Sciences conference was held at the McGrew Conference Center at Hampton University (HU), Hampton, Virginia on September 11 and 12, 1995. Eighty-six participants from state and private, majority and minority colleges and universities, government agencies and research laboratories attended this conference hosted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). A complete list of those attending is provided in the Appendices. Faculty, students, researchers and administrators came with the expressed purpose of strengthening the links between historically black and minority-serving college and university (HBMSCU) undergraduates and institutions with oceanic graduate programs.

The participants were welcomed by Dr. William R. Harvey, President of Hampton University. The charge to the group was given by Dr. Nancy Foster, Deputy Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service. A series of panel discussions followed on "Minorities at Work in the Ocean Sciences" chaired by Dr. Ambrose Jearld, NMFS; "Minority Student Matriculation" chaired by Dr. Benjamin Cuker, HU; and the "Student Perspective" chaired by Dr. Brian Bingham, Shannon Point Marine Center. Five working groups focused on the issues of minority recruitment, student-faculty relationships, bridging programs, faculty-faculty relationships, and retention. A sixth ad-hoc working group made up of federal representatives focused on the relationships among federal resources, oceanographic institutions, and HBMSCUs. Working lunch periods granted time for free discussion, networking, visiting classes in session at the Hampton University Marine Science Center and talking with students.

Hampton University was chosen as the site of the conference because it is one of the few HBMSCU schools to have a graduate program in marine sciences. As a venue, it proved to be an excellent choice. Participants thought highly of its ambiance and its students, and for many, while they were accustomed to black and minority groups convening at the participants' home institutions, this was their first visit to one of the 117 historically black campuses in the United States.

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