Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program
Portland State University
Phone: 503-725-9740
Fax: 503-725-5262
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Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program
The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program at Portland State University has re-opened the application process for the 2009-2010 program year. Fall applications are due on Monday, November 9, 2009 for the program cohort starting Winter 2010.
Click on "How to Apply" to download an application.
The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program at Portland State University (PSU) works with motivated and talented undergraduates who want to pursue PhDs. It introduces juniors and seniors who are first-generation and low-income, and/or members of under-represented groups to academic research and to effective strategies for getting into and graduating from PhD programs.
The McNair Scholars Program has academic-year activities and a full-time summer research internship. Scholars take academic and skills-building seminars and workshops during the year, and each scholar works closely with a faculty mentor on original research in the summer. Scholars present their research findings at the McNair Summer Symposium and at other conferences, and are encouraged to publish their papers in the McNair Journal and other scholarly publications.
The Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program was established in 1986 by the U.S. Department of Education and named in honor of Challenger Space Shuttle astronaut Dr. Ronald E. McNair. The program, which is in its sixth year on campus, is funded by a $924,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education along with the institutional cost-share funds.
During the last six years, 139 PSU students have participated in the program. Of those students, over 50 have been accepted into graduate programs at schools such as Rutgers University, University of Georgia, Georgetown University, Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Simon Fraser University, The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Washington State University, and PSU. PSU Scholars have presented at national and international conferences, as well as published their research, edited journals, and co-authored book chapters. One PSU scholar has been awarded the Fulbright Student Fellowship.
The McNair Scholars Program's student-centered approach relies heavily on faculty and university administers' commitment. Activities and opportunities provided by the program focus on building a positive academic community for the scholars while they are undergraduates at PSU.
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The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program is funded by a four-year $924,000 US Department of Education grant. Portland State University provides $528,968 in cost-share funds over the same four-year period.