If colleges and universities really want to diversify the professoriate, one immediate step they can take is to support and invest in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.
Named after the pioneering African-American astronaut who was killed when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986, the McNair Scholars program has been one of higher education’s most important success stories. There is little question that the program has helped to move the needle in preparing students from underrepresented backgrounds—including first-generation, low-income and racial and ethnic minorities—obtain a Ph.D.
Part of the federal TRIO programs—a group of educational opportunity programs created and governed by the Higher Education Act of 1965—the McNair Scholars program is needed now more than ever, particularly when we consider the declining and worrisome number of underrepresented students going on to earn a doctoral degree.
A few weeks ago, more than 150 people, representing 89 different McNair programs from across the country convened at the University of Central Florida (UCF) to share best practices, network and strategize on how best to shape the future direction of McNair.
The McNair Promising Practices Institute (MPPI) –now in its sixth year— provided the support and the space for these dedicated staffers to grapple with a myriad of topics like how to leverage campus resources to support their programs and learning about strategies to helping their students prepare for the GRE and the graduate school application. Additionally, twenty-eight graduate institutions from across the nation were on scene, committed to recruiting retaining and graduating McNair Scholars.
“Seeing the need for the McNair community to come together and share best practices, I created the McNair Promising Practices Institute as a way to provide McNair professionals with a venue to reflect on the legacy of Dr. Ronald McNair, build community, and explore ways to holistically prepare program participants for their journey towards the Ph.D.,” said Michael Aldarondo-Jeffries, director of Academic Advancement Programs in the Division of Teaching and Learning at UCF.
Just spend a few minutes talking to Priscilla Louis, 21, a biomedical neuroscience and psychology student at UCF and you’ll quickly learn how McNair has changed her life and her career trajectory.
