McNair program receives $1.3m from DOE

The McNair Graduate Opportunity Program at UNH recently received more than $1.3 million in federal funds through the U.S. Department of Education’s Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program competition administered by the Office of Federal TRIO Programs.

Named in honor of the NASA astronaut who died on board the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, the program serves low-income, first-generation college students, as well as students from racial backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in academia with focus on preparing them for success in graduate education.

Participants are provided the opportunity to pursue research under the supervision and guidance of a faculty mentor and to attend professional conferences across the country. Students also receive support in the process of their graduate school application, standardized test preparation and financial aid exploration.

Eligible students of academic promise are recruited from within the region and across the nation. During the preliminary research summer session, students are granted room and board as well as a $2,800 stipend.
The university has been host to the McNair program from 1991 and it has been continuously funded since that time.

Although awards are typically given on a four-year cycle, the university scored in the top 10 percent of the competition and was able to secure a five-year grant. The program has served 178 undergraduates since its inception.