McNair Scholars Program

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A Proud Tradition at St. Edward's University Since 2003

Since 2003, the McNair Scholars Program has proudly and consistently attracted the best and brightest scholars who have taken full advantage of everything that the program has to offer. Numerous program alumni have gone on to be awarded fellowships and to be accepted into graduate programs across the United States where they have pursued and achieved their goals in doctoral, professional, and other graduate programs. Every year a new cohort is inducted into our program to continue the proud McNair Scholars tradition.

The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase the attainment of doctoral degrees by students who come from underrepresented segments of society, and there is no question that the program is successful in fulfilling its mission to prepare participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. Participants in the McNair Scholars Program come from disadvantaged backgrounds and have demonstrated strong academic potential. A majority are low-income and first-generation college students.  They're united in their goal to pursue doctoral studies.

The program provides funding for faculty-directed research that includes an incentive for scholars. In addition, McNair scholars benefit from visits to graduate schools they're interested in attending, academic counseling, course tutoring, attending professional conferences, preparing for GRE exams, and receiving advice and assistance with the graduate school selection and application process.

The McNair Scholars Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and by St. Edward's University.

Advisory Board

Jeannetta Williams, PhD 
Professor of Psychology
School of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Kathleen Wilburn, PhD
Professor of Management
The Bill Munday School of Business

Trish Baynham, PhD
Professor of Biology
School of Natural Sciences

Stephanie Martinez, PhD
Professor of Communications
School of Arts and Humanities

Emma Zhong, DNP
Assistant Professor of Nursing
School of Health Sciences

Austin Hestdalen, PhD (McNair Alumnus)
Asst. Professor of Communication
Purdue University Northwest

Amy Ontai, PhD (McNair Alumnus)
Technical Scientific Writer
Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation & Integrative Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center

STEM Advisors

Lisa M. Goering, PhD
Professor of Biology
School of Natural Sciences

Jason Callahan, PhD
Professor of Mathematics
School of Natural Sciences

Objective 1

90 percent of McNair participants served during the project year will have completed appropriate research or scholarly activities during the McNair program academic year.

Objective 2

50 percent of McNair Program bachelor’s degree recipients (or equivalent) will be accepted and enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program of study by the fall term of the academic year immediately following the completion of the bachelor’s degree (or equivalent).

Objective 3

95 percent of first-year graduate students will continue to be enrolled in graduate school at the beginning of the fall term of the next academic year.

Objective 4

10 percent of McNair Program participants served will attain a doctoral degree within ten (10) years after attainment of the bachelor’s degree.

Our Mission

The St. Edward's University McNair Program provides services that will enable low-income first-generation college students and students from groups underrepresented in college education to pursue doctoral study by providing activities that will implement the following prescribed objectives. An evaluation will provide a means for collecting quantifiable data and documentation to verify successful completion of activities.

Eligibility Requirements

Applications are available to all eligible full-time students at St. Edward’s University.

Eligibility requirements include:

  • GPA of 2.7 or better.
  • Have completed at least 60 hours of college credit by the end of the spring semester and have at least 1 year remaining before graduation. Students with at least 45 hours of college credit but less than 60 hours may still apply for the program and participate in a number of activities that will prepare them for full participation in the Summer Research Experience once they have earned 60 credit hours.
  • U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  • Low-income and first generation college student

OR

  • A member of a group underrepresented in doctoral study (e.g., Hispanic, Black, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or other Native American Pacific Islander).
  • All majors are welcome to apply.

For more information, email mcnairscholars@stedwards.edu.

Benefits and Opportunities

Throughout the academic year McNair scholars receive:

  • Regularly scheduled seminars on topics related to graduate school preparation.
  • A mentoring opportunity with a faculty member who will provide guidance, advice, role modeling and an introduction to the academic profession.
  • Letters of recommendation.
  • GRE test preparation.
  • Visits to graduate schools.
  • Graduate school application fee waivers by those universities that conduct TRIO programs, as well as others.

Research

McNair scholars may also be eligible for a research internship beginning in the spring and continuing through the summer for eight weeks that includes:

  • A stipend of up to $2800 paid during the summer.
  • Paid room and board on campus for the eight weeks.
  • Three semester hours of tuition-free credit.
  • The opportunity to present research at the St. Edward’s University McNair Scholars Program Research Symposium and at national McNair Scholars conferences.

Application

Applications for the 2024-2025 McNair Scholars Program are now closed.  Please look for a new application to open in September 2025!

If you have any questions, or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our office. We can be reached at 512.428.1268 or by email at mcnairscholars@stedwards.edu.

The McNair Scholars Program publishes an annual research journal and newsletter. The journal presents work done during an 8-week summer research internship by our scholars. Our newsletter, The Orbit, highlights accomplishments, interviews with the people who help to make our program successful, and other important information.

About the McNair Scholars Program (Flyer)

Newsletter

Journal

Summer Research Symposium Programs

If you would like to make a gift to support the McNair Scholars Program at St. Edward’s University, please donate online. In the Gift Note section of the giving form, you can designate your gift for the McNair Scholars Program.        

If you have questions about making a gift or would like to speak with someone in University Advancement, please call 512-464-8826 or send an email to advancement@stedwards.edu.

Thank you for your interest in supporting the McNair Scholars Program at St. Edward’s University.

Read about Victoria Rodriguez's ('11) journey from first-generation college student to PhD recipient from Stanford. A McNair Scholar and St. Edward's alumna, Victoria's story is inspirational and moving.

 

Photo of Ronald Erwin McNair.
The High Standards of Ronald E. McNair

Ronald Erwin McNair was born on October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina. He dreamed of becoming a scientist. In spite of the challenges he faced as a result of being born into a climate of racial segregation, his hard work and persistence paid off: He was valedictorian of his high school graduating class and was accepted by North Carolina A&T University. In 1971, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He went on to graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and earned his Ph.D. in quantum electronics and laser technology in 1976. His achievements include being named a Presidential Scholar, a Ford Foundation Fellow, a National Fellowship Fund Fellow, a NATO Fellow, winner of the Omega Psi Phi Scholar of the Year Award, and Distinguished Alumni Award. He was also an accomplished saxophone player and held a fifth degree black belt in karate.

While at MIT, Dr. McNair contributed to some of the earliest development of chemical HF/DF and high-pressure CO lasers. His later experiments and theoretical analyses added to the understanding and applications for highly excited polyatomic molecules.  In 1975, he studied laser physics with experts in the field at Ecole Dete Theorique de Physique, Les Houches, France. He published several papers about lasers and molecular spectroscopy and presented his findings at numerous conferences in the United States and abroad.  Following his graduation from MIT, he took a position as staff physicist with Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, where he worked on the developing lasers for isotope separation and photochemistry using non-linear interactions in low-temperature liquids and optical pumping techniques. He also conducted research on electro-optic laser modulation for satellite-to-satellite space communications, the construction of ultra-fast infrared detectors, ultraviolet atmospheric remote sensing, and the scientific foundations of the martial arts.

In January 1978, NASA selected Dr. McNair as an astronaut candidate. After training for a year, he was qualified as a mission specialist astronaut and eligible for assignments on Space Shuttle flights. His first mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 3, 1984. His first flight successfully accomplished the proper shuttle deployment of two Hughes 376 communications satellites. This mission marked the first flight of the Manned Maneuvering Unit and the first use of the Canadian arm, operated by Dr. McNair, to position EVA crewman around the Challenger's payload bay. Dr. McNair also assumed other responsibilities: the German SPAS-01 Satellite, acoustic levitation and chemical separation experiments, the Cinema 360 motion picture filming, five Getaway Specials, and other mid-deck experiments. The Challenger concluded its mission in the first landing on the runway at Kennedy Space Center on February 11, 1984, and Dr. McNair logged 191 hours in space.

On January 28, 1986, Dr. McNair joined the Space Shuttle Challenger on his second mission to space. Shortly after liftoff, the Challenger exploded and, tragically, all seven people aboard were killed, including spacecraft commander Mr. F.R. Scobee, pilot Commander M.J. Smith (USN), mission specialists Lieutenant Colonel E.S. Onizuka (USAF), and Dr. J.A. Resnik, and two civilian payload specialists, Mr. G.B. Jarvis and Mrs. S. C. McAuliffe. Dr. McNair is survived by his wife Cheryl and their two children. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Dr. McNair was the second African American to fly in space.

Shortly after Dr. McNair’s death, members of the United States Congress named a federal grant program in his honor to recognize his remarkable academic and professional achievements and to encourage low-income, first-generation college students and/or traditionally underrepresented in graduate education to pursue doctoral study. The program serves as a living memorial to honor a man who conquered the obstacles of racial segregation and poverty to earn a Ph.D. in physics and to realize his dream to become an astronaut. Dr. McNair’s life personified his belief that "true courage comes in enduring, persevering, preparation and believing in oneself."

Staff

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Director

Andrea Holgado, PhD

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Assistant Director

Dora Perez, MBA

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Administrative Coordinator

Corrie Lankford, A.A.

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Hours

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location

Moody Hall 
Room 126

Get in Touch

McNair Scholars Program 
mcnairscholars@stedwards.edu 
(512) 428-1268

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