The U.S. Department of Education has announced 189 new grant awards totaling $51.7 million to institutions of higher education across the United States as part of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. The program provides grants to universities and colleges for projects designed to provide disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for doctoral studies.
“When we look at U.S. students studying to become our future physicians, professors, scientists and other crucial professionals requiring graduate degrees, many demographic groups are underrepresented, including first-generation college students and those from low-income families,” said Nasser Paydar, assistant secretary in the Office of Postsecondary Education. “McNair grants fund projects at universities and colleges that help underrepresented students to access doctoral programs.”
Among the institutions receiving grants under the program are 14 historically Black educational institutions. They are listed below.
Talladega College, $292,305
Miles College, $261,888
Morehouse College, $303,044
Fort Valley State University, $261,888
Xavier University of Louisiana, $274,982
Jackson State University, $261,888
North Carolina Central University, $261,888
Fayetteville State University, $261,888
Johnson C. Smith University, $261,195
Saint Augustine’s University, $261,888
Tennessee State University, $261,888
Texas Southern University, $261,888
Hampton University, $261,883
Virginia Union University, $261,888
Robert McNair was an American astronaut who was the second African American to go to space. He died in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986. Dr. McNair was a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and held a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
