McNair Scholars Program

Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D.

To honor his lifetime of accomplishments, the U.S. Department of Education, with funding from Congress, established the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. This program is dedicated to instilling in college students the high standard of achievement represented by the life of Ronald E. McNair.

Dr. Ronald E. McNair was America’s second Black astronaut in space and one of seven crew members killed in the space shuttle Challenger explosion on Jan. 28, 1986.

Ronald McNair graduated as valedictorian from Carver High School in Lake City, South Carolina, in 1967; graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in physics from North Carolina A&T State University in 1971; and received a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976, at the age of 26.

His academic and professional achievements were many. He was a Presidential Scholar, Ford Foundation Fellow, National Fellowship Fund Fellow and Omega Psi Phi Scholar of the year. He was also the recipient of many honorary degrees and numerous commendations. As the first in his family to graduate from college, his academic and career successes serve as a shining example to the current generation of college students who, for many reasons, may feel that graduate school and a doctoral degree are inaccessible.

Eligibility

Eligible students are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have successfully completed 27 hours of college credit with a GPA of 2.75 or above and who are first-generation/low-income and/or from minority groups underrepresented in graduate education.

Program Requirements

If selected for the program, students go through an orientation detailing the requirements of the program, which include:

- participation in meetings, workshops, seminars and other scholarly activities

- achieving and maintaining a 3.0 GPA

- completing a summer research internship under the guidance of a faculty mentor

- completing periodic program evaluations/assessments

- cooperating with follow-up surveys

How to Apply for the McNair Program

Interested students must complete the Application, which includes an essay describing academic and career objectives as well as tentative plans for research. The student must also ask two faculty members to submit Recommendations.

Ronnie Clements graduated in 2019 with a B.S. in psychology and is currently pursuing a doctorate in engineering education at Purdue University. In addition to being a McNair Scholar, Ronnie was also a member of the Beyond Professional Identity (BPI) research lab directed by Dr. James Huff. In 2021, Ronnie was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in the field of Engineering Education Research.

Dr. Kanembe Shanachilubwa graduated in 2019 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. In 2021, Kanembe was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship among other awards and fellowships. In 2023, he graduated with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.

Dr. Tessa Zuniga graduated in 2015 with a B.S. in psychology. After leaving Harding University, Dr. Zuniga received her M.A. in industrial organizational psychology in 2018 and her Ph.D. in business psychology in 2023 from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP). While attending TCSPP, Dr. Zuniga was a teacher’s assistant, Assessment Center coordinator and moved into an adjunct professor role teaching performance appraisal. Professionally, Dr. Zuniga has used her degrees while working as a member of the Human Resources team for a Federally Qualified Health Center in Chicago. Her research in job crafting, engaging leadership and work engagement has been inspired by her experience as a first generational student working to build a career in helping organizations support employee’s development and work engagement.

Austin Hayes graduated in 2019 with a B.A. in French and international studies. In 2021, Hayes received the highly competitive David L. Boren Fellowship to study in Indonesia for the 2021-2022 academic year. In 2022, Hayes graduated with an M.S. in global studies from Oklahoma State University, where he is currently an academic advisor in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.