ARKANSAS, USA — As part of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education with the U.S. Department of Education announced on Thursday that they will be giving 189 new grant awards to various institutions of higher education across the country.
The grant money will total $51.7 million, which will be used to provide universities and colleges with what they need to assist disadvantaged college students with effective preparation for their doctoral studies.
Of the many schools that were announced, three of them getting grants are in Arkansas.
Harding University will be receiving $274,983, Henderson State University will receive $261,888 and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is set to receive $243,041.
In total, the Arkansas universities will be receiving $779,912 dollars in McNair grants.
The full list of new grantees includes 14 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 55 Minority Serving Institutions, as well as other institutions of higher education.
"When we look at U.S. students studying to become our future physicians, professors, scientists, and other crucial professionals requiring graduate degrees, many demographic groups are underrepresented, including first-generation college students and those from low-income families,” said Nasser Paydar, assistant secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education. “McNair grants fund projects at universities and colleges that help underrepresented students to access doctoral programs.”
The McNair program is one of seven federal outreach and student services programs in the country that are aimed to serve and assist individuals with disabilities, first-generation college students, as well as low-income individuals.
The program will allow students to progress through the academic pipeline from early childhood all the way through their post-baccalaureate programs.
For more information on the McNair program, please click here.