About This Journal
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program was established by Congress in 1986 after the tragic explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger that killed seven crew members, including Dr. McNair. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the program provides institutions with grants to develop and implement successful programs that recruit promising and aspiring low-income and first-generation students and those from backgrounds underrepresented at the doctoral level and prepares them for the rigors of graduate level work. Currently, the program operates at 152 campuses across the country serving 5000 scholars each year.
Since the McNair Scholars Program’s inception at SJSU in 1996, McNair has successfully recruited 300 low-income and first generation students and individuals who are underrepresented at the doctoral level. Of those who have completed the program, 99.5% have earned their bachelor’s degree, far exceeding the 16% - 20% for this population nationwide. Eighty percent of our SJSU graduates have finished or are pursuing a graduate school degree. SJSU has McNair alumni teaching or studying at universities across the United States, as well as in Germany, Columbia, Kenya, Australia, Turkey, and Morocco. We are extremely proud of our students and our program’s successes.