Westminster Gets Federal Grant for McNair Scholars

Oct 5, 2007

KCPW News
by Eric Ray

The Department of Education has awarded Westminster College with a $924,000 grant for its McNair Scholars program. The program is designed to help low income and first generation college students prepare for graduate studies.


Mary Jo Hinsdale, Program Director at Westminster College, says McNair scholars attend workshops, a research methods class, a writing class and do an intensive research project with a faculty mentor. The program also prepares students for the graduate school application process. The grant will allow Westminster to expand the program to 26 students each year with spots opening only when scholars move on to graduate school.


Hinsdale says the goal of the program is to get students to eventually become professors, therefore increasing faculty diversity. Westminster started its McNair Scholars program in 2003. Since then it has served 57 students, twenty of which moved on to graduate programs, twelve to doctoral programs and six are working on Masters degrees.