The Research Improvement in Minority Institutions (RIMI) program was established to provide support to strengthen the research environments and capabilities of predominantly minority institutions or institutions that have substantial minority student populations. Eligible institutions must also have graduate programs in science or programs in engineering. Funding is provided for faculty research in fields of science and engineering supported by the Foundation and for the acquisition of research instrumentation. Kentucky State University will use RIMI support to test four specific hypotheses that focus on the relationship between a state government operated management awareness training program and the professional development of public managers. The findings of this research should shed new light on the conceptual and empirical factors that influence relationships between management training and professional development of public managers in an organizational setting. Evaluative research in the area of public administration continues to emphasize the relevance of curriculum content, the relative merits of different delivery styles, and the need for tangible linkage between training and organizational effectiveness in the work setting. The principal investigator is a well-trained political scientist and public administrator who has published widely in refereed journals. The Foundation has supported this project because minorities will have additional opportunities to participate in meritorious research on the professional training of managers.
