submitted by crombie@augsburg.edu
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that Augsburg University has been awarded a 1.3 million federal Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement grant. The McNair Scholars grant is $261,885 annually for a five-year cycle (2022 through 2027). McNair participants are first-generation college students with financial need, and/or members of a group underrepresented in graduate education who have demonstrated strong academic potential and will prepare for graduate study through involvement in research and other scholarly activities.
Augsburg TRIO McNair Scholars serves an annual complement of 26 undergraduate students from program admission through graduation and tracks their progress for 10 years after graduation. Since 2007, the McNair Scholars program has provided intensive research experience and graduate school preparation to 142 students. Of those who completed the McNair program: 8 have completed a PhD and 12 are currently enrolled, 42 have completed a masters degree and 14 are currently enrolled; and 12 have completed other programs including MD, MBA, PharmD, PsyD or are currently enrolled.
The McNair Scholars Program was created by the U.S. Congress in honor of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, the astronaut and physicist who was among the first African Americans in the U.S. space program.