To RU students, faculty, and staff: please visit the STEM center on AUD 8th floor today 9/16 from 12:30 to 2:30pm in support of our McNair Scholars Program. Share your experiences in the program — whether as a McNair Scholar, a faculty mentor, or anyone who supports providing research opportunities and mentorship for underrepresented students @RU. As noted by the Council for Opportunity in Education:

On September 16th we are asking McNair staff, students, faculty mentors, alumni, and supporters to contact their U.S. Representative and both U.S. Senators to demand that the Department of Education protect McNair grants and release grant award notifications for 2025–2026 before September 30. McNair provides life-changing research opportunities, mentoring, and graduate-school preparation for students who are first-generation, low-income, or from underrepresented backgrounds. When McNair is weakened or cancelled, students lose access to the supports that lead to doctoral study, academic careers, and the intergenerational mobility our nation needs.

Protect the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

First, identify your Members of Congress at the online directory linked below. Then use your phone and email to reach out to their district and DC offices — aim for the education aide, legislative director, and district directors. If you can, do this during a break in your day: even a short call and quick follow-up email makes a difference. Your voice is the difference between silence and protection. On September 16, stand with McNair scholars: call, email, recruit five friends, and report your results. Together, we will make clear that McNair’s mission to prepare students for doctoral study and academic careers must be preserved.