In October 1999, the Department of Education awarded a Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Program) grant to Kent State University. This federal initiative, which is part of the TRIO Program Authority, was established in 1986 in memory of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, physicist and astronaut, who died in the space shuttle Challenger Explosion. The purpose of the McNair Program is to prepare first-generation, low income, undergraduate students, from groups underrepresented in graduate schools, for doctoral study. McNair Scholars are engaged in a variety of activities, including mentored research, and academic and cultural seminars.

The Kent State McNair Program, known as the KSU McNair Scholars Program, is administered through the Division of Research and Graduate Studies. Our program consists of an Academic Year component and Summer Research Institute, in cooperation with the Honors College. The McNair Program is authorized for 20 students each year. The KSU McNair Scholars Program, in partnership with Alcorn State University in Lorman, MS, includes students from that university as participants.

The heart of the McNair Scholars Program is the Faculty Mentor-McNair Scholar relationship. During the eight-week Summer Research Institute the KSU McNair Scholars work with Kent State Faculty Mentors on selected research topics. McNair Scholars learn the basic principles for conducting successful research, typically in their major field of study. The Summer Research Institute culminates with the McNair Research Symposium where McNair Scholars present their research projects to the University Community.