OLLU McNair Scholars Program renews grant for five more years

SAN ANTONIO- Our Lady of the Lake University’s (OLLU) Ronald McNair Scholars program has received renewed funding for five more years. According to the OLLU Lake Weekly, the program received $1,339,205 from the United States Department of Education. The mission of the McNair Scholars Program is to provide encouragement and services to limited-income and first-generation college students while also increasing the participation of underrepresented minority groups pursuing doctoral studies by providing mentorship, networking, research and educational opportunities. “OLLU does contribute significantly to the success of the program, but we couldn’t operate as a McNair Scholars Program without both the funding and designation granted by the Dept. of Education,” said Jessica Quintero Phd., McNair Scholars Program Director. The grant helps fund all activities provided by the McNair program. The grant provides opportunities for students to engage in field-specific research under the guidance of faculty mentors, including academic writing, conference presentation and networking. Additionally, the program can support students with graduate school admission preparation, including Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation, application strategies, graduate school visits, scholarship sources and helpful information for graduate students. The McNair also collaborates with OLLU resources to provide additional services, such as professional workshops offered by the Center for Career Development, mental and emotional health assistance by the OLLU Wellness Center and the Trellis company who work to develop content specific to the needs of aspiring graduate students. Dr. Quintero plans to include increased collaboration efforts with other institutions that will allow students to establish a larger network of connections with other universities’ McNair Scholars. For more information or to access the application, due Sept. 15, for the McNairs Scholars Program, go to https://www.ollusa.edu/academics/enrichment-programs/mcnair-scholars-program/future-scholars.html