Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Public-academic research institutions in the United States receive billions in funding from public and private entities (Wagner, 2014). By effectively commercializing research portfolios, many of these universities produce marketable products and services that are essential to the economic sustainability of higher education institutions. The researcher will examine factors germane to the commercialization process throughout institutions of higher education. Specifically, the researcher’s objective is to determine if Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) exhibit differences in their infrastructures, policies, practices, and obligation to the commercialization of research. The researcher will implement a mixed method research algorithm, using a sample that will include some 390 faculty members affiliated with research-intensive HBCUs and PWIs as defined by the Carnegie Classifications. This study is significant in that the findings will reveal those differences and similarities that exist in the innovation ecosystems of HBCUs and PWIs. This level of learning about leadership ecosystems will allow us to make a social difference, by improving the economic viability of the institutions and the communities that they serve.