• STUDENTS
• FACULTY/STAFF
• ALUMNI

seach 

• E-mail
• WINS
• D2L
• Directory
• Library
• UW-W Home

• ADMISSIONS
• ACADEMICS
• CAMPUS LIFE
• EVENTS
• ATHLETICS
• CAMPUS INFO

 

 

 

Ramel Smith '94 describes his experience in the McNair Scholars program at UW-Whitewater as nothing short of amazing.

"McNair made me who I am today," he said. "This program is a hidden gem in the state."

The UW-Whitewater program has been helping prepare first-generation and multicultural students for doctoral study and eventual careers as college professors. Of the 148 students served by McNair since 1992, six have earned Ph.D.s, 14 are Ph.D. prospects, 53 have earned master's degrees and 28 are master's degree prospects. The program recently earned the Ann Lydecker Educational Diversity Award for its support of multicultural, first-generation and low-income students.

Smith, like his sister Alisia (Smith) Moutry '90, came to UW-Whitewater as a first-generation college student unsure of what to expect. Enter the McNair program and faculty Richard McGregory and Roger Pulliam.

"I was just amazed by the individualized attention they would give me," he said. "They were patient and helped craft me. They set a standard for excellence."

Smith says the McNair program also introduced him to a whole new world of academic and social activities. He got involved in the UW-Whitewater Gospel Choir, the Black Student Union and Omega Psi Phi fraternity. "I had never even heard of dinner theatre until McNair."

With fellow McNair scholars, Smith also toured potential graduate schools and attended regional and national conferences where he honed his public speaking skills and made valuable contacts with academicians.

The first-generation college student acknowledged the importance of having McGregory and Pulliam as role models. "Seeing people who had achieved their Ph.D.s and getting advice on how to apply to graduate school and what to expect was invaluable. I spent countless hours in Richard's and Roger's offices."

Under the tutelage of McGregory and Pulliam, Smith applied and was accepted into graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he earned a master's degree in educational psychology in 2000 and a Ph.D. in urban education and school psychology in 2003.

Despite being in a city 50 miles away from Whitewater, Smith's UW-Whitewater McNair "family" continued to support him. "The program helped me finish my doctorate in a timely manner, aligning me with a fellowship at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio," he said. For six weeks, Smith was able to dedicate 12-16 hours a day to writing his dissertation. The fellowship also covered living expenses for his family. "There's no way I would have been able to complete my Ph.D. in the three years that I did."

Currently working as a licensed psychologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Smith provides individual counseling to adolescents in foster care. He also owns Blaquesmith Psychological Consultative Services in Milwaukee and is the host of a 30-minute mental health self-help television show. The show airs once every two weeks on Milwaukee cable access channels 14 and 96. "For years, far too many African Americans have failed to realize the potential help that the mental help community can provide," Smith said. "This show will provide information that will be relevant, in a discreet setting and for free."

A McNair Scholar for life, Smith is one of the program's biggest cheerleaders. "The benefits of being a UW-Whitewater McNair Scholar are second to none in the country. McNair helps individuals develop the gifts they have and gives them the confidence and courage to go out and accomplish the things you didn't think you could do. This program is a blessing."