McNair Scholars: Giving students a head start on the competition

July 18, 2006

Nancy Huerta

"The McNair program was able to give me the academic support I needed to go forth in getting my Ph.D. in clinical psychology." McNair alumna and current graduate student at Northern Illinois Bethany Price said.  "The program has prepared me for success in the future within the psychology field."

Price is just one of the many University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students who have found success through the McNair program.  Since the program began in 1992, 140 undergraduate students have already graduated, with 80 percent of those students going on to graduate school.

"The McNair Scholars is a great program that teaches students how to transition themselves from undergraduate school to graduate school," McNair Scholars Director Richard McGregory said.  "We are here to help students get their Ph.D. in their respective studies by assisting them in fellowships, graduate assistantships and other related positions."

"The McNair program has helped me gain many opportunities and has opened up doors for me in broadcast journalism," junior Ramycia Cooper said.  "This program has given me the opportunity to speak with people who are knowledgeable about graduate school, travel to other graduate schools to learn more about their programs and have helped me created networks within my field of study."

"Being in the program has improved my research skills which will be important when I pursue my career in biology and hopefully get my Ph.D. in it," junior Nancy Huerta added.

The McNair Scholars is a two-year program open to 25 select UW-Whitewater juniors and seniors.  These students have demonstrated academic excellence as King/Chavez scholars during their freshman and sophomore years.  As juniors, McNair scholars participate in a six-week summer research experience at UW-Whitewater where they individually gather research on the topic of their choice, as well as with other McNair scholars for an assigned group research project.  As seniors, McNair scholars participate in a summer research internship at a research center.  Currently, there are 17 students involved in research internship placements working at universities such as the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota.

Students involved in the six-week McNair Scholars Program summer session learned different types of research methods, writing methods, test taking strategies, computer skills and public speaking skills that will help them earn masters and doctoral degrees. 

"Developing good research skills is very important for graduate school and in life," Cooper said.  "The McNair program has helped polish my research skills, my language and in my proposal writing and mechanics.  Since I am seeking a higher education and want to be a professor, I have used this program to help me get a leg up on others when applying to graduate school.  The McNair Program is very well-designed."

In the last five years, there has been an average of one graduate student from the McNair Scholars Program who has earned their Ph.D.  Fifteen McNair alumni are still in the process of completing their doctoral degrees.

For more information on the McNair Scholars Program and how to get involved, contact McGregory at (262) 472-2802 or mcgregor@uww.edu.