In the wake of the loss of all federal funding, The University of Alabama’s McNair Scholars program is focusing entirely on the last generation of scholars.
According to the program’s website, the organization helps first-generation college students in financial need and those from underrepresented groups for successful admission to doctoral programs.
“Ordinarily, we would be interviewing [the next class of scholars] right now,” Nancy Campbell, director of the McNair Scholars program, said. “Our focus now is working with our current students.”
Campbell said the loss of funding was not a total surprise.
“We’ve known for about a year,” she said. “We’ve been bracing ourselves and working with University administration.”
Although funding was cut in October, Campbell said the University’s Office of Academic Affairs has agreed to help support the program through the spring semester.
“We’d all love to keep it going if we can,” she said. “At this point, however, there is no provision after spring.”
One of the most disheartening things about the loss of funding is that the McNair Scholars program works, Campbell said.
“McNair is a proven program,” she said. “It’s a very OVERSET FOLLOWS:good program in helping diversify graduate schools. There’s data saying it works. Universities all across the U.S. actively recruit McNair scholars.”
Akeem Borom is the current student president of the UA McNair Scholars, and the loss of federal funding has stunted his duties, as well.
“The entire point of being the president is to prepare for the next generation of scholars,” he said. “It’s like [the loss of funding] has pulled the rug out from under my feet.”
Borom now spends his time as president connecting with McNair Scholars at other institutions.
“It’s all we can do now,” he said.
Borom plans to attend medical school and said he’s seen multiple benefits from the program, including access to conferences and increased communication with graduate schools.
“Just to have ‘McNair’ attached to your name is so beneficial,” he said. “In the last 10 days, I’ve been emailed by at least 100 graduate schools.”
Borom said the ‘McNair’ distinction helped him achieve a rare opportunity of back-to-back prestigious internships with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The program, he added, has helped him continue research, and he will graduate with multiple publications. In particular, Borom was thankful for Campbell’s contributions.
“It’s incredible how ready she gets you [for graduate school],” he said. “You know everything and become really competitive.”
Borom said he was much more organized and knew how to make himself stand out in admissions competition.
Brass Bralley, a senior majoring in Spanish, shared Borom’s sense of indebtedness to the program and Campbell.
“I – and past scholars – owe a lot to this program, and to Dr. Campbell, in particular,” Bralley said. “It has been an extremely beneficial program to me and the other scholars as it has given us the experience and guidance that we need before pursuing graduate education – including devising and executing our own individual research projects, presenting this research at a national conference and preparing articles to be published in the McNair journal next year.”
The program allowed Bralley to attend and participate in an academic conference in Buffalo, N.Y.
“We went as a group and had a lot of fun while getting to experience a taste of what conferences will be like as we progress along our academic careers,” Bralley said. “We each orally presented our research and got to meet other McNair scholars from all over the country who had worked on their own individual projects.”
Bralley, who is not quite sure of her plans after graduation, said Campbell and the McNair Scholars program have been supportive, even in her indecision.
“Honestly, I couldn’t be more disheartened that the cohort of 2012 will be the last year at Alabama,” Bralley said. “I hope that we can somehow find a way to get the program to return within the next few years.”
