[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 251 (Monday, December 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68802-68803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-33042]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request

Title of Proposed Collection: National Survey of Recent College 
Graduates

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. Such a 
notice was published at

[[Page 68803]]

Federal Register 51723. No comments were received.
    The materials are now being sent to OMB for review. Send any 
written comments to Desk Officer, OMB, 3145-0177, OIRA, OPMB, 
Washington, DC 20503. Comments should be received by February 8, 1997.
    Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

Proposed Project

    The National Survey of Recent College Graduates (NSRCG), formerly 
called the New Entrants Survey, has been conducted biennially since 
1974. For the 1997 cycle, bachelor's and master's degree recipients in 
science and engineering from the academic years 1994-95 and 1995-96 
will be surveyed. The purpose of the study is to provide national 
estimates describing the relationship between education and employment 
for new science and engineering graduates. The study is one of three 
components of the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System 
(SESTAT), formerly called the Scientific and Technical Personnel Data 
System (STPDS). In 1997, the NSRCG survey effort will also include a 
Follow-up panel survey of graduates that received their degrees between 
1991 and 1994, inclusive. The purpose of the Follow-up panel survey is 
to create a historical data set on the same individual permitting 
longitudinal analysis.
    The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as subsequently 
amended, includes a statutory charge to ``. . . provide a central 
clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data 
on scientific and engineering resources, and to provide a source of 
information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal 
Government.'' The National Survey of Recent College Graduates is 
designed to comply with these mandates by providing information on the 
supply and utilization of newly qualified scientists and engineers. 
Collected data will be used to produce estimates of the characteristics 
of new graduates entering the science and engineering labor force. They 
will also provide necessary input into the SESTAT labor force model, 
which produces national estimates of the size and characteristics of 
the country's science and engineering population. The Foundation uses 
this information to prepare congressionally mandated reports such as 
Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering and Science and 
Engineering Indicators. A public release file of collected data, 
designed to protect respondent confidentiality, will be made available 
to researchers on CD-ROM and on the World Wide Web.
    To conduct the study, lists of 1994-95 and 1995-96 science and 
engineering bachelor's and master's degree recipients will be collected 
from a nationally representative sample of 275 institutions awarding 
such degrees. The United States Department of Education's Family Policy 
Compliance Office has reviewed the study's goals and procedures and 
concluded that postsecondary institutions may provide these lists 
without violating the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1976 
(FERPA). From the collected lists, a sample of approximately 13,500 
graduates will be selected for the NSRCG and 14,000 graduates will be 
selected for the Follow-up panel survey. The sample design includes 
oversampling of minority graduates and varying sampling rates to 
represent specific fields of science and engineering. Sample members 
will be requested to complete a 30 minute interview conducted by 
telephone and/or mail. The survey will be collected in conformance with 
the Privacy Act of 1974. Each graduate's participation will be entirely 
voluntary. NSF will insure that all information collected will be kept 
strictly confidential and will be used only for research or statistical 
purposes, analyzing data, and preparing scientific reports and 
articles.
    The graduate sample size for the NSRCG for two academic years 
covered by this survey cycle (1994-95 and 1995-96) is estimated to be 
13,500. An unweighted graduate response rate of 85 percent is 
anticipated (86 percent was obtained on the previous cycle). The 
graduate sample size for the Follow-up panel survey is estimated to be 
14,000. An unweighted graduate response rate of 95 percent is 
anticipated for the Follow-up panel survey. The amount of time required 
to complete the questionnaire is estimated to be 30 minutes for both 
the NSRCG and the Follow-up panel survey.

    Dated: December 23, 1996.
Herman G. Fleming,
NSF Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 96-33042 Filed 12-27-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M