2010 Annual Report C O S S A Consortium of Social Science Associations Advocating for the Social and Behavioral Sciences for 30 Years Members Governing Members Social Science History Association Cornell University American Association for Public Society for Behavioral Medicine Duke University Opinion Research Society for Research on Adolescence Georgetown University American Economic Association Society for Social Work and Research George Mason University American Educational Research Society for the Psychological Study George Washington University Association of Social Issues Harvard University American Historical Association Southern Political Science Howard University American Political Science Association University of Illinois Association Southern Sociological Society Indiana University American Psychological Association Southwestern Social Science University of Iowa American Society of Criminology Association Johns Hopkins University American Sociological Association John Jay College of Criminal Justice, American Statistical Association Centers & Institutes CUNY Kansas State University Association of American Geographers American Academy of Political and University of Maryland Association of American Law Schools Social Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology Law and Society Association American Council of Learned Maxwell School of Citizenship and Linguistic Society of America Societies Public Affairs, Syracuse Midwest Political Science Association American Institutes for Research University of Michigan National Communication Association Brookings Institution Michigan State University Population Association of America Center for Advanced Study in the University of Missouri, St. Louis Rural Sociological Society Behavioral Sciences University of Minnesota Society for Research in Child Cornell Institute for Social and Mississippi State University Development Economic Research University of Nebraska, Lincoln Institute for Social Research, New York University University of Michigan Membership Organizations University of North Carolina, Institute for Women’s Policy Research Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Chapel Hill National Bureau of Economic American Association for Agricultural Northwestern University Research Education Ohio State University National Opinion Research Center American Psychosomatic Society University of Pennsylvania Population Reference Bureau Association for Asian Studies Pennsylvania State University RTI International Association for Public Policy Analysis Princeton University Social Science Research Council and Management Rutgers, The State University of New Association of Academic Survey Jersey Research Organizations Colleges & Universities University of South Carolina Association of Research Libraries Arizona State University Stanford University Council on Social Work Education Boston University State University of New York, Stony Eastern Sociological Society Brown University Brook Economic History Association University of California, Berkeley University of Texas, Austin International Communication University of California, Irvine Texas A & M University Association University of California, Los Angeles Tulane University Justice Research and Statistics University of California, San Diego Vanderbilt University Association University of California, Santa University of Virginia Midwest Sociological Society Barbara University of Washington National Association of Social Carnegie-Mellon University Washington University in St. Louis Workers University of Connecticut University of Wisconsin, Madison North American Regional Science University of Chicago University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Council Clark University Yale University North Central Sociological Columbia University Association 2010 Annual Report From the Executive Director s I write this at the end of February 2011, the politics Engineering and Math for America’s Future. In both of federal science policy have become caught up in cases, COSSA joining with other groups in the social and A the frenzy of budget cutting to reduce record setting behavioral science community and with our leadership at deficits. The promise of the America COMPETES Act, NSF and the National Academies’ Division of Behavioral enacted first in 2007 and again at the end of 2010, to double and Social Sciences and Education, impressed upon both the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF) has BOSE and PCAST that any attempt to teach science at the been swept aside. The Foundation could face a significant K-12 level needs the concepts and methods of the social and budget cut from last year’s funding. behavioral sciences as part of that curriculum. The political shifts resulting from the 2010 election put By the end of the year, although not much ground was given COSSA and the rest of the science community on alert to regarding the two reports, the National Academies agreed potential negative consequences. The threats to the social to examine the role of the social and behavioral sciences in and behavioral sciences rendered in You Tube videos and K-12 education and PCAST devoted more time to the role leadership letters sent COSSA actively pursuing strategies of these sciences and suggested they had an important role to to once again defend our sciences. So far, they have been play in America’s energy future in their report, On Accelerating spared any successful direct attack, although another attempt the Pace of Change in Energy Technologies Through an Integrated to single out “silly grants” for derision and defunding was Federal Energy Policy. made during the recent House consideration of current fiscal year appropriations. The COSSA-led Coalition to Promote 2010 was also the year of the decennial Census. COSSA was Research organized and coordinated the response that a proud member of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee, thwarted this effort. one of 256,000 partners for the Census, and gratified that the conduct of the count was successful after much difficulty Looking back to 2010, the policy challenges COSSA faced in the years leading up to 2010. The leadership of Census remained considerable. As the national agenda continued Director Bob Groves and his team as well as the activities to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math of the Census Stakeholder group, including COSSA, which (STEM) education pursuing policies to improve American defended the Bureau and fought for its budget, played a large students’ performance in these subjects, the social and role in that success. As a member of the Advisory Committee, behavioral sciences remained outside this discussion. Policy COSSA also joined in the preliminary discussions regarding makers used our research to explain the deficiencies and plans for Census 2020. to suggest some solutions, but including the social and behavioral sciences as part of the ‘S’ in STEM was ignored. COSSA also continued its concern with the federal statistical agencies, advocating for increased budgets for the Bureau of COSSA succeeded in convincing the House of Economic Analysis (BEA), Economic Research Service, the Representatives in the report to accompany their version of National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Bureau of Justice America COMPETES to include language defining STEM Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. COSSA also education “as an umbrella term that covers every academic helped organize and support the World Statistics Day briefing discipline and research area supported across [NSF], including on Capitol Hill, which included presentations from Groves, discipline based education research.” former Census Director and COSSA’s 2011-12 President Ken Prewitt, OMB Statistical Policy head Katherine However, two reports issued in 2010 reflected the omission: Wallman, and BEA Director Steve Landefeld, who also spoke The National Academies’ Board on Science Education’s at the COSSA Annual Meeting. (BOSE) A Framework for Science Education, and the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology’s (PCAST) At NSF, COSSA welcomed new director Subra Suresh. The Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science Technology, Consortium continued to work closely with Myron Gutmann, 2010 COSSA Annual Report Page 1 Assistant Director for the Social, Behavioral and Economic testimony with the Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences Directorate (SBE), and the division directors and Resource Economics, meetings with the leaders of the program officers there. Gutmann spoke at the COSSA Annual Research, Education and Economics Mission Area and Meeting on his project to identify a long-term research and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as well as infrastructure agenda for these sciences. One bit of unfinished speaking at the meeting of the Social Science Subcommittee business from 2010 is the Senate confirmation of sociologist of the Experiment Stations’ Committee on Policy, all Cora Marrett as NSF’s Deputy Director. constituted efforts to improve support for social science research in rural America. At NIH, COSSA advocated for the implementation of OppNET, a major initiative to support Basic Behavioral and This past year also saw the departures from Washington Social Research related to health. At the COSSA Annual of key supporters for COSSA and its mission. Raynard Meeting, Deborah Olster, Acting Director of the Office of Kington, who has worked with COSSA since 1994, first Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), discussed this as a Congressional Seminar Speaker, then in his numerous and