RIC Wins $1.16-M Grant to Increase Ph.D.s among Underrepresented Students

Rhode Island College has been awarded a U.S. Department of Education grant totaling $1.16 million to be distributed in increments of $232,265 a year over the next five years.

Titled the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement grant, funding is provided to select institutions of higher education for programs that prepare disadvantaged students to earn doctoral degrees through involvement in undergraduate research and other scholarly activities. 

“This is an extremely competitive award,” stated U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, “​and great recognition for Rhode Island College.” He added, “Our state stands to benefit for years to come from this federal investment.”  

According to federal guidelines, two-thirds of RIC McNair scholars must be first-generation, low-income students while the remaining participants must be a member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education.

“Thanks to this federal funding,” Reed said, “talented RIC students from diverse backgrounds with strong academic potential will have an opportunity to advance their education and open new doors and opportunities.”

Leading the division in which the grant will be administered is RIC Vice President of Student Success Jason Meriwether.

He noted that “Rhode Island College has a proven history of successfully serving a diverse population of first-generation and low-income students, which directly aligns the college with the mission and scope of the McNair grant. This grant will further the college’s initiatives to increase degree completion and prepare underrepresented students to pursue research agendas that will shape the future of discourse in the sciences.”

RIC McNair Project Director Maria Muccio expressed pride in the fact that Rhode Island College will lead​ the state’s first McNair program. 

Muccio is also director of RIC’s Preparatory Enrollment Program. She said, “We are ​excited to begin working with a group of talented and motivated students from the research process to college graduation and graduate studies. The McNair program is an excellent opportunity to create a pipeline for students to obtain a Ph.D. and to go on to become researchers, faculty members and serve as effective leaders in their respective fields​.”

A minimum of 25 eligible RIC McNair scholars will be selected each year, said Muccio​. They will be assigned a McNair advisor throughout their undergraduate experience and work closely with faculty mentors in their respective research areas.

McNair scholars will also enroll for two semesters in a Research and Professional Skills course that introduces them to key components of the research process. They will learn how to develop a research proposal, how to create a successful research presentation and how to enter their research in a scholarly journal.

The opportunity to travel to McNair Scholars Research Conferences throughout the country to present their research findings or to share where they are in their research will be offered to all McNair scholars.

Those who participate in a summer research internship, under the guidance of their faculty mentor, will be able to earn a stipend of up to $2,800.

The program includes GRE test preparation and assistance in securing admission to and financial assistance for enrollment in graduate programs.

In accordance with federal guidelines, on an annual basis, the RIC McNair program will track the number of participants who complete research or other scholarly activities, those who continue in their undergraduate program, those who attain baccalaureate degrees, those who enroll in a graduate program and those who attain doctoral degrees.

The goal is to increase the percentage of participants who enroll in and persist in graduate school.

“As employment trends in Rhode Island and across the globe continue to show preference for advanced degrees, Rhode Island College is aligning its students with the job market of the 21st and 22nd centuries,” said Meriwether. “The McNair grant complements RIC's goal to produce graduates who are competitive in the areas of learning innovation, critical thinking and leadership.”

The McNair grant is named after the late Ron McNair, a physicist and the second African-American to fly in space. McNair​ was one of seven crew members killed when the Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff in 1986.