Underrepresented students are given the opportunity to attend graduate school and effectively prepare for it.

Earlier this week, Iowa State’s Graduate College received a $1.1 million grant from the Department of Education. A program that will benefit from this grant is the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. In 1995, the program first began at Iowa State and there about 160 programs similar to this nationwide.

Named after the African – American NASA astronaut and physicist, this program is funded by the Department of Education and is one of seven of their seven TRiO programs. A common misconception is that this program is strictly for minority students, but in fact this program benefits students of many different backgrounds.

First generation, veteran and underrepresented students are all eligible to be accepted into the program. Students will be reached out to by email if their GPA and major indicates a graduate school path. Despite McNair’s background, this program isn’t just for STEM majors but for any student planning on continuing their education after receiving their undergraduate.

Thirty students are accepted into the program and take four McNair courses over a span of two years. The first year, students learn how to practice academic research and present the results of their research study. The second year, students are assisted with graduate school applications and learn transitioning skills.

The McNair program is set-up like a graduate school prep so that students are fully prepared to successfully get into and thrive in graduate school. At Iowa State, four staff members assist with this program. Additionally, each student is required to have a mentor so in total over thirty faculty members are a part of this program.

Funding, like the grant just recently received, covers the cost of cultural activities for students, expenses for the research done and research project, staffing and any national conferences that the students will be able to attend. Unlike a scholarship, this funding helps prepare and inspire students to pursue a higher degree and change the course of their life.