Embedded Files
The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program, abbrev.) is a federally funded national program that admits high achieving undergraduate students that identify as first-generation college students with financial need or that belong to one or more historically underrepresented groups in graduate education. To check if you are eligible for the McNair Scholars program at RIT, see the Eligibility Section below.
The mission of the program is to support our scholars, particularly through research and scholarly activity, with their goal of entering a graduate program and completing a doctoral degree. We fund research experiences, give workshops on getting to and succeeding in graduate school, and build a supportive community for our scholars.
The creation of this national program was inspired by PhD Physicist, Presidential Scholar, and NASA Astronaut Ronald E. McNair, who became the second African American to fly in space in 1984. Following Dr. McNair's death during the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986, Congress created the McNair Scholars program in his memory with the goal of increasing the number of graduate degrees earned by students from historically underrepresented groups, and ultimately diversifying academia.
First-Generation College Students
Two thirds of all scholars in the McNair program must be first-generation college students. What does that mean?
Well, unfortunately, this is not an easy answer; there are many recognized definitions that are all slightly different than each other. The definition used by the U.S. Department of Education (and, therefore, used by the McNair Scholars Program) is that a first-generation college student is from a family in which neither parent or guardian has obtained a bachelor's degree. This definition includes college students whose parents did not graduate college, but perhaps an older sibling or other family member has, and also includes students who may have had a parent attend college classes, but did not graduate with a college degree. Other definitions may not include these students in their definition or may include students whose parents graduated with a college degree from another country.
But, what is the point of all these definitions? The Center for First-Generation Student Success says: "Ultimately, the term 'first-generation' implies the possibility that a student may lack the critical cultural capital necessary for college success because their parents did not attend college."
This distinction should be a guiding principle if you are thinking about whether or not you identify as a first-generation college student.
Google Sites
Report abuse