Fact Sheet

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 of 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 US Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to prepare talented low-income, first generation college students and students from underrepresented groups in higher education for acceptance in doctoral programs. The program emphasizes careers in research and college level teaching.

During the summer portion of the program:

• Students complete an intensive research internship with a faculty mentor, 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 continue working with mentors and attend professional development seminars 
• Students attend a professional conference or research conference during the academic year to present their research 
• Students also 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 a student must:

• Be a US citizen or permanent resident.
• Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student in a degree program at UIW
• 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

To participate in the Summer Research Experience a scholar must:

• 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 UIW 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