Ronald E. McNair
The program is named in honor of Ronald E. McNair, a NASA mission specialist astronaut and nationally recognized physicist. Dr. McNair, who grew up in poverty and segregation, lost his life when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986. The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalureate Achievement Program was established by Congress in his honor.
Ronald Erwin McNair was born in Lake City, South Carolina on Oct. 21, 1950. McNair came from a low-income family. He graduated high school in 1967 as the valedictorian of Carver High School. He was also a first-generation college student, earning a bachelors degree in Physics from North Carolina A&T State University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in laser physics in 1976 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. McNair would later be granted an honorary doctorate of laws from North Carolina A&T State University, an honorary doctorate of science from Morris College, and an honorary doctorate of science from the Univeristy of South Carolina. He was awarded many distinctions including being a Presidential Scholar, a Ford Foundation Fellow, a National Fellowship Fund Fellow, and a NATO fellow. Dr. McNair was on his second mission to space when the U.S. Challenger space shuttle tragically exploded.
NPR StoryCorps- Astronaut's Brother Carl E. McNair Recalls a Man Who Dreamed Big
NPR StoryCorp on YouTube: Eyes on the Stars
Carl McNair YouTube video: Celebrating Martin Luther King Day with McNair Scholars
Program at MSU-Bozeman January 21, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwhETZShWLg
The McNair Scholars Program at Montana State University-Bozeman is one of the premier and nationally recognized undergraduate programs on campus. The essence of our program is to successfully combine faculty mentoring, undergraduate research, and academic support services for students whose families have not traditionally participated in post-secondary education. Students who are the first in their families to attend college and are from low-income families are prioritized.
The goal of the McNair Scholars Program (MSP) is to increase post-baccalaureate degree attainment (e.g., Ph.D.) of students who have not traditionally participated in higher education. The MSP prepares scholars for graduate school success by offering a sequence of services including: financial support to engage in research projects, personalized research mentoring, opportunities to publically present research findings, graduate school admission workshops, research training seminars, and academic advising.
Learn more about the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program and other TRIO Programs-
