McNair Scholars Program
The Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) is one of the Department of Education's Federal TRIO Programs that seeks to improve effective preparation for doctoral study for undergraduate students who are either low-income, first-generation, or underrepresented in graduate education.
The Wayne State University McNair Scholars Program, established in 2004, champions excellence in academics and leadership by providing financial and academic support to talented students who strive to excel in undergraduate research and scholarship.
The main components of the program include:
- Conducting original research under the guidance of a faculty mentor
- Receive training in writing, communication and graduate school preparation
- Financial support and travel opportunities that include presenting research at conferences
- Join a national network that includes top-choice graduate schools
McNair Scholars are recruited each year during their sophomore or junior years and move through the program as they finish their baccalaureate degree. During this time, McNair prepares the scholars for graduate study by demystifying the graduate school application process and providing the students with a simulated graduate school experience.
It should be the goal of each McNair Scholar to attain a PhD within ten years of graduating from Wayne State University.
The program is named after the late Dr. Ronald E. McNair, who was the second African American to enter space. Dr. McNair and the entire crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger perished in 1986 when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after it launched.
Dr. McNair was born in Lake City, South Carolina on October 21, 1950. He was raised in a low-income household and would go onto graduate as the valedictorian of Carver High School, graduate magna cum laude in Engineering Physics from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, and earn a PhD degree in Physics from MIT with a specialty in laser physics.