| On September
21, 2007 Congressman Lloyd Doggett announced that
St. Edward's University is receiving a Ronald E. McNair
TRIO grant for $231,000 from the U.S. Department of Education.
"With this continued funding, we'll be able to serve more students and provide
them academic opportunities to prepare them for advanced study," said Molly Minus,
dean of Academic Services.
This program prepares participants for doctoral studies through involvement in
research and other scholarly activities. Participants are from disadvantaged
backgrounds and have demonstrated strong academic potential. Institutions work
closely with participants as they complete their undergraduate requirements,
and encourage students to enroll in graduate programs and then track their progress
through to the successful completion of advanced degrees. The goal is to increase
the attainment of PhD degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society.
In August 2003, St. Edward's University
received their first four-year grant from the U.S. Department
of Education to begin the McNair Scholars Program. The McNair
Scholars Program is named in honor of Ronald E. McNair,
an African-American engineer, scientist and Challenger
astronaut who was killed when the shuttle exploded upon
liftoff in 1986.
McNair scholars are undergraduate students interested in
pursuing PhD’s who are typically underrepresented
in their fields of interest. A majority are low-income and
first-generation college students. Through the program,
McNair scholars benefit from trips to graduate schools,
academic counseling, course tutoring, professional conferences,
preparation for GRE exams, and advice and assistance with
the graduate school selection and application process. The
program also provides partial funding for graduate school
interviews and faculty-directed summer research.
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