McNair Scholars

Applications for Winthrop McNair are being accepted now through 5 pm Monday, October 18, 2021. Info session and other updates will be posted on our application information webpage, here.

**Dinkins Hall is currently closed due to no power in the building. The McNair Director,   Dr. Cheryl Fortner-Wood, is located in her Psychology office, 134 Kinard Hall. Executive Support Specialist, Barb Yeager, is located in 101 Tillman Hall. If you have questions about the program or need to reach a staff member, please email mcnair@winthrop.edu or call  803-323-2125. We hope to return to our offices soon. We apologize for the inconvenience.** 

Latest News

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• Read about about McNair Summer researchers Bobbie Owen and Jasmine Moyd here.
• See McNair Scholar McKenzie Bennett, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, celebrated in the July 2021 Winthrop Magazine  (p. 17) and in this press release. Helping Scholars secure funding for doctoral studies is one of McNair's services. 
• Congratulations Lydia Rodriguez and Savannah Stinson for being voted Scholar Among Scholars by the 2021 McNair Summer Research cohort!
• We are very proud of our McNair Scholars who completed impressive research projects with their mentors this summer. 7 of our 13 SAEOPP national McNair/SSS Research Conference presenters earned a top 3 award in their presentation category. 17 Scholars presented their culminating research project during the McNair and SURE symposia June 28-29, 2021. Find out more on our Summer Research webpage. 
• Contgratulations to Dr. Sarah Wicks (Duke, PhD, Chemistry) and Dr. Lauren Green (Notre Dame, PhD, Biology) who successfully defended their dissertations in July 2021! Dr. Wicks' McNair Mentors were Dr. Robin Lammi and Dr. Jay Hanna. Dr. Green's McNair Mentor was Dr. Matt Stern. Dr. Green and Dr. Wicks join Dr. Cayla Eagon (Univ. Colorado Boulder, PhD, English, McNair Mentor: Dr. Jack DeRochi) and Dr. Brittany Prioleau (PharmD, South University, McNair Mentor: Dr. Heather Evans-Anderson) who also earned their doctorates in 2021. 
• Welcome, Destinee Waddy, McNair alum and incoming G.A. We are so excited to work with you!!
• We will miss our outgoing G.A., Jasmine Goode, who recently graduated and is launching her career. See her last newsletter here.
• Congratulations to our May McNair Graduates including 12 Scholars, 3 staff, and many alumni.
• Click here to read the Director's letter to campus regarding Dr. McNair's Legacy on the 35th Anniversary of the Challenger Tragedy (527 KB). Here are a couple links to learn more about and/or remember Dr. Ronald E. McNair. 
  • Story Corps - https://storycorps.org/animation/eyes-on-the-stars/
  • CBS News story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1BalnZZx9s 

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About the Program

The Winthrop McNair Scholars Program prepares first generation, low-income, and underrepresented undergraduates to be successful in PhD programs by providing research, extensive support, and transformational opportunities throughout the junior and senior years. Winthrop's program includes, but is not limited to, a paid summer research experience, faculty mentoring, workshops, GRE and graduate school application preparation, and travel to present research and explore graduate programs.

Winthrop's program is funded by a five-year renewable TRiO grant from the U.S. Department of Education. $261,888 in federal funding is provided this year for programming and materials that will help 30 eligible students prepare for graduate study. This represents 73% of program costs. Winthrop contributes the remaining 27% of the budget with approximately $95,000 in cash and in-kind matches.

To learn more about the impact of Winthrop's Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, check out our program flyer or this article in the Winthrop Magazine. 

For a fun look at what our Scholars and Alumni are doing, visit our newsletters. 

To learn about our Scholars' award winning research, visit our summer research page, see Scholar Monejah Black's story, or check out http://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/mcnair/. 

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Useful Links 

Information about applying to the program is available here. 

Winthrop McNair Digital Commons

Dr. Ronald E. McNair Biography

Other sources of information about Dr. McNair include: His life story throught Story Corps (Eyes on the Stars), Remembering the Challenger Disaster (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQcAQWn3UY), and his academic accomplishments (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1BalnZZx9s).  

Winthrop McNair GEPA Statement on Equitable Access

Winthrop McNair Graduate Assistantship (position filled until summer 2023)

Winthrop McNair Graduate Scholarship