FULLERTON : CSUF Center Receives $300,000 in Contracts

The Social Science Research Center at Cal State Fullerton has been awarded nearly $300,000 in contracts to study alcohol use, unwed fathers and the future educational requirements of area employers.

The county Health Care Agency has granted the center $224,375 to study the prevalence of alcohol use and associated problems throughout Orange County. Center director Richard T. Serpe said the survey results, due in June, will be used to help design local alcohol treatment and prevention programs.

The center also has been hired to survey unwed fathers between the ages of 15 and 25 in six cities across the nation. The study is aimed at discovering the fathers’ financial status, involvement with their children, relationship with the child’s mother and knowledge and use of birth control, Serpe said. The $36,250 project was commissioned by the Philadelphia-based Public/Private Ventures, a nonprofit agency for disadvantaged youth.

The Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce has paid the center an additional $31,625 to interview 60 personnel officers at local businesses to define the types of skills, personal characteristics and previous work experiences that employers want in employees.

The goal, Serpe said, is to help explore possible cooperative ventures between local schools and businesses as a way of improving the skills and training of future workers.

The center was founded in 1986 to link computer-based research efforts and instructional activities on campus, particularly in teaching students how to conduct research projects. Much of the research work is done by students working with and for Serpe.