University of South Florida

USF McNair Scholars Program

The USF McNair Scholars program has been running under Dr. Joan Holmes’ direction for the past thirteen years.  The USF McNair Scholars Program’s goal is to successfully prepare academically talented, junior and senior level, low income, first generation students and students from backgrounds who are traditionally underrepresented in doctoral programs and the professoriate.  USF’s McNair program provides the sufficient financial resources to implement a structured and coordinated faculty mentoring program; provide sufficient student stipends, provide student preparation seminars, a strong undergraduate research programs component, tutorial support for “gate” courses, student research travel, and the trained professional staff needed to motivate, prepare, and assist  academically talented students who are disadvantaged economically and grossly underrepresented for doctoral programs.

We are currently hosting the 2008 – 2010 cohort.  The program model that has been used at USF consists of the following:

 

Program Activities
First Year (Junior Year)

  • Scholars are paired with Role Model Mentor
  • Seven credit hours of coursework
  • Seminars/Workshops
  • Research activities
  • Graduate school visits – Spring Break
  • Cultural and personal growth activities
  • External summer program application assistance

Summer After Junior Year

  • Scholars are paired with Summer Research Coordinators
  • Summer Research Institute
    • Scholars take 7 credit hours of coursework in a rigorous 6-week period.
    • Classes include Research Technical  Writing, Research Design, and an Independent Study.
  • Development of research proposal
  • Research activities
  • GRE preparation class (Princeton Review)
  • Summer Research Symposium
    • Scholars give oral presentation on research proposal
    • Scholars are judged by panel for selection of students to present at conferences
  • McNair National Conferences

Second Year (Senior Year)

  • Scholars are paired with Research Faculty Mentors
  • Graduate school fellowship application and graduate school application assistance
  • Research Internship
  • Research Symposium (poster/oral presentations)
  • Graduating Seniors Banquet

Application to McNair Scholars

McNair Scholars office: (813) 974 – 7935 or email: jholmes@grad.usf.edu for more information.