CRA's Mission Statement

The Computing Research Association (CRA) seeks to strengthen research and advanced education in computing and allied fields. It does this by working to influence policy that impacts computing research, encouraging the development of human resources, contributing to the cohesiveness of the professional community and collecting and disseminating information about the importance and the state of computing research. Each plays an important role in achieving the organizational objectives.

CRA counts among its members more than 200 North American organizations active in computing research: academic departments of computer science and computer engineering; laboratories and centers in industry, government, and academia; and affiliated professional societies (AAAI, ACM, CACS/AIC, IEEE Computer Society, SIAM, USENIX). CRA works with these organizations to represent the computing research community and to effect change that benefits both computing research and society at large.

CRA was formed in 1972 as the Computer Science Board (CSB), which provided a forum for the chairs of Ph.D. granting computer science departments to discuss issues and share information. In 1986 CSB, in recognition of its increasing concern for R&D in the computing fields, including computer engineering and computational science, incorporated as the Computing Research Board (CRB). In 1990, CRB was given its present name, the Computing Research Association, and a permanently staffed office was opened in Washington, DC.

CRA is incorporated in the District of Columbia and operates as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization under the Tax Code of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

CRA's Four Mission Areas are:

Policy: Develop a deeper understanding of policy issues and their impact, and work for informed policies involving computing research and computing technology in general.

• Influence policy related to computing research by improving public and policy maker understanding of the nature and role of such research.
• Increase the computing community's awareness of and participation in policy issues.

Examples:

• Congressional Visits
• Publications, such as Computing Research: A National Investment for Leadership in the 21st Century

Information: Collect and disseminate to the research and policy-making communities information about the importance and state of computing research and related policy.

• Develop additional policy-relevant information.
• Bring this information to the attention of the public, policy makers, and the computing research community.

Examples:

• Taulbee Survey
• Forsythe List
• Computing Research News
• CRA Bulletin

Human resources: Ensure that society's need for a continuous supply of talented and well-educated computing researchers and advanced practitioners is met.

• Assist with leadership development within the computing research community.
• Promote needed changes in advanced education.
• Encourage full participation by members of underrepresented groups.

Examples:

• Effective Teaching and Academic Careers Workshops
• CRA's Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research
• Grace Murray Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
• Distributed Mentor Project

Community: Promote a cohesive and effective sense of community among individuals and groups involved in computing research.

• Promote cooperation among various elements of the computing research community.
• Strengthen CRA as the focal point of this community.

Examples:

• CRA Conference at Snowbird
• Triennial Federated Computing Research Conference
• Leadership Summit

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