Posted 8:04 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012
A UW-La Crosse program that prepares low income and underrepresented students for graduate school will continue thanks to a large U.S. Department of Education grant.
[caption id="attachment_14827" align="alignright" width="500" caption=" New this year, the McNair Scholars Program will house a First Year Research Exposure (FYRE) program. Ten, first-year students in STEM majors will be admitted into FYRE to give them research exposure such as assistance in science and math classes in preparation for continuation in STEM fields. FYRE is partially funded through Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation. It helps get students into the pipeline for the McNair Scholars Program, which accepts students during their sophomore or junior year. Pictured here are students in the program with Jessica Thill, McNair Scholars Program coordinator, right front. "]
[/caption]The McNair Scholars Program will receive $219,500 to complete the fourth year of its current grant award and is slated to receive the same amount each year through 2018.
The grant is welcome news after the U.S. Department of Education announced that $10 million would be cut from McNair programs across the country this spring, meaning only about 130 of the 200 programs nationally would continue, says Roger Haro, director of the program.
But UW-L’s program has a proven track record with all 12 of the graduates from the 2011-12 academic year continuing on to graduate school — some of them earning full-ride scholarships, says Haro.
“This program changes peoples’ lives,” he says. “It gives students the opportunity to move beyond a four-year degree to earn a master’s or Ph.D. — something they often can’t even imagine. This program prepares them on multiple fronts to be competitive in those programs.”
This fall marks the third year the program has been offered at UW-L. A total of 28 students are enrolled, half from UW-L’s College of Science and Health. The focus on science and health students this year mirrors the national trend to promote education in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Also, fewer underrepresented students go into STEM fields compared to their college peers.
[/caption]The McNair Scholars Program will receive $219,500 to complete the fourth year of its current grant award and is slated to receive the same amount each year through 2018.
The grant is welcome news after the U.S. Department of Education announced that $10 million would be cut from McNair programs across the country this spring, meaning only about 130 of the 200 programs nationally would continue, says Roger Haro, director of the program.
But UW-L’s program has a proven track record with all 12 of the graduates from the 2011-12 academic year continuing on to graduate school — some of them earning full-ride scholarships, says Haro.
“This program changes peoples’ lives,” he says. “It gives students the opportunity to move beyond a four-year degree to earn a master’s or Ph.D. — something they often can’t even imagine. This program prepares them on multiple fronts to be competitive in those programs.”
This fall marks the third year the program has been offered at UW-L. A total of 28 students are enrolled, half from UW-L’s College of Science and Health. The focus on science and health students this year mirrors the national trend to promote education in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Also, fewer underrepresented students go into STEM fields compared to their college peers.