Categorization of minority groups in academic science and engineering

A recent report by the National Science Foundation states that in 2001 members of minority groups represented only 27 of full-time ranked doctoral-level science and engineering faculty. The only non-Caucasian group that has seen significant growth in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines is Asian faculty members, who are no longer labeled as minorities by the National Science Foundation because of their increasing numbers. This paper utilizes data from the 2001 NSF Survey of Doctorate Recipients to explore how productivity and salary vary across ethnicity for academic scientists and engineers. In particular, this paper differs from previous research because it explicitly explores the impact of two different definitions of minority groups on measures of productivity and compensation patterns among academic scientists and engineers. The results indicate that minority faculty members are significantly more productive than nonminority faculty members only when Asians are included as a part of the minority group.