McNair Scholars Program

vermont state university at castleton

The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, also known as the McNair Scholars Program, was established by Congress in 1986 in memory of astronaut and renowned laser physicist Ronald E. McNair. VTSU Castleton’s McNair Scholars program was first established in 2017.

The McNair program is a preparatory program for undergraduate students who are low-income and first-generation, as well as students from ethnic groups that are under-represented in doctoral study, to pursue graduate education. McNair Scholars take classes on graduate-level research methods, as well as receiving advising on aspects of the graduate school application process and all related facets of higher education that they are likely to encounter. Scholars also complete a summer research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor and are provided the opportunity to visit schools and attend and/or present at scholarly research conferences.

The mission of the program is to motivate, enable, and prepare, talented Castleton undergraduate students for entrance into Ph.D. programs and for the next phase in their academic career. We hope to provide a launch point for future scholars with a zest for learning and willingness to challenge social and societal conventions.