Renewed Opportunities

The U.S. Department of Education renewed Baylor University’s five-year grant for the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which prepares high-achieving college students from diverse backgrounds for doctoral studies. The Baylor McNair grant was renewed at $1,309,440 ($261,888 each year) for the next five-year grant period.

Founded in 2017, Baylor’s McNair Scholars program is one of seven federal TRIO programs. It prepares first-generation, low income and/or underrepresented undergraduate students, as early as their sophomore year, for graduate education by providing paid research opportunities over the summer guided by faculty mentors, professional development workshops, free GRE preparation and assistance with graduate school applications.

“Our Baylor McNair Scholars are extremely high-achieving students with so much potential, and it has been such a joy to see them immerse themselves in research with their dedicated Baylor faculty mentors and present their work at academic conferences, including the McNair Research Conferences,” said Steven Fernandez, director of the McNair Scholars Program within Baylor’s Paul L. Foster Success Center. “The most fulfilling moment is seeing our students graduate from Baylor and begin their doctoral programs at prestigious universities throughout the country. They will be the future mentors for students who share similar experiences.”

A number of Baylor McNair Scholars, now Baylor graduates, have been accepted to doctoral programs across the country, including at Johns Hopkins University, University of Iowa, UCLA, Boston College, University of South Carolina, Indiana University-Bloomington, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University, just to name a few. Baylor McNair Scholars also have received numerous fellowships such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), Fulbright Scholarship and Goldwater Scholarship.