Office of Public Affairs
(315) 312-2265
Oct. 29, 2003
CONTACTS: Dr. Jack Narayan, 312-3692
Dr. Robert Moore, 312-2607
PROGRAM TO GENERATE PH.D.S
LAUNCHED AT SUNY OSWEGO
OSWEGO -- A national program that aims to boost the
number of Ph.D.s among members of underrepresented groups is getting
under way at SUNY Oswego.
Oswego was one of 18 institutions awarded new grants
this year under the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Award Program, said Dr. Robert Moore, professor of English. He is
co-director of the new program at Oswego along with Dr. Jack Narayan,
dean of graduate studies and research.
Oswego's program will enroll 20 juniors and seniors
a year once it gets fully up and running, Moore said. About 10 students
may join the program for spring semester.
"Graduate school must be in their plans, and they
must plan to teach," Moore said.
Named for former astronaut Ronald E. McNair, who
died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion, the program was
launched in 1989 and exists today at more than 150 colleges and
universities across the country.
The U.S. Department of Education has provided
funding to Oswego of $190,216 for this academic year, according to the
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Moore said the Oswego
program can expect four years of funding through 2006-07, for a total
of $760,864. A fifth year of funding is possible depending upon
results, he added.
"Most of the money goes to support the students," he
said.
Oswego's program is designed to increase the number
of people from underrepresented groups in the ranks of the nation's
college professors. That includes African Americans, Hispanic
Americans, Americans Indians, those from economically disadvantaged
families who are first-generation college students, and -- in math- and
science-related fields -- women. Rolando Arroyo-Sucre, Oswego's
assistant provost for social equity and director of learning services,
is a project facilitator.
The McNair program aims to prepare students for
doctoral studies by involving them in research and other scholarly
activities. Students selected as McNair scholars receive $400 stipends
each semester through their junior and senior years and a $2,000 summer
stipend to pursue scholarly activity under the mentorship of a
professor.
The program also sponsors workshops to prepare the
McNair scholars for entrance exams and for selecting and making
applications to appropriate graduate schools.
Oswego and St. Lawrence University were the only two
institutions in New York to win funding for new McNair programs this
year, Moore said. SUNY Brockport has had a successful program since
1989 that now enrolls about 50 students a year, he said.
Oswego's team consulted with Brockport's recently
retired project director, Vincent Tollers, in preparing the grant
application. Tollers will continue his association with Oswego as
program adviser.
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