UIW McNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Fact Sheet

The UIW McNair Scholars Program is named for laser physicist and Challenger astronaut, Dr. Ronald E. McNair.  Dr. McNair was a Ph.D. graduate of the Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT) and one of the first African Americans to travel into space.  He died in the NASA Challenger disaster in 1986.  The UIW McNair Scholars Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.  The purpose of the program is to prepare talented low-income, first generation college students and students from other underrepresented groups for acceptance in doctoral programs. 

Program components include:

• Intensive research internship with a faculty mentor
• Professional development seminars and participation in professional or research conferences
• Assistance in preparing for graduate school exams and applying to graduate school

The program emphasizes careers in research and college level teaching.

During the summer portion of the program:

• Students will complete a research internship, which requires a 320-hour commitment 
• Students completing the internship are awarded a stipend of up to $2,800
• Students attend GRE prep courses and other professional seminars
• Students are assisted in identifying graduate school programs

During the academic year:

• Students will continue working with their mentors and will attend professional development seminars
• Students will attend a professional conference or research conference during the academic year and be encouraged to present their research
• Students also will visit graduate schools
• Scholarship monies are now available for research scholars during their junior and senior years for a total of four semesters

To be eligible for the McNair Scholars Program and participate in the Summer Research Experience a student must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student in a degree program at the University of the Incarnate Word
• Be a low-income and first generation college student, or a member of an underrepresented group [i.e., Hispanic, African American, Native American, or Pacific Islander (Native Hawaiian, Guamanian, or Samoan)]
• Have a grade point average of 2.7 or better
• Have completed enough hours to qualify for junior standing before participating in the research component

Applications are available online www.uiw.edu/mcnair/ or in the University of the Incarnate Word McNair Scholars Program Office (Admin. Bldg., Rm.120, 829-2791).  For more information contact the Program Director, Dr. Roberta Leichnitz at 829-3929 or the Dean of Graduate Studies & Research and Principal Investigator, Dr. Kevin B. Vichcales at 829-3555.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education