Building Knowledge and Expan
Fellowship and McNair Scholars
Program
Lindsey Back, Perry Zurn, Luciano Berardi, Brian Spittle, a
Katrina Roundfield

I. Context:

II. Rationale:
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III. Strategies:

IV. Outcomes

V. Discussion
◦ Post-Graduate Education in the U.S.
◦ Under-Represented Student Populations
◦ McNair Scholars Program and the Arnold Mitchem
Fellowship Program
◦ McNair Scholars in Post-Graduate Schools
Post-Graduate Education Enrollment in U.S.
Asian/Pacific
11%
Islander
7%
6%
Latino
12%
Black
1%
Native American
White
64%
Nonresident alien
Post-Graduate School Disparities in the U.S.
Graduate Assistants
4%
White
7%
Black
Native
1%
White
7%
<1%
Asian/Pacifi
c Islander
Latino
Faculty
11%
6%
Black
5%
Asian/Pacific
Islander
81%
American
Latino
Native
77%
American

Challenges of Serving Under-Represented Students
1. Lack of information about



Post-Graduate education
Financial options
Career advantages
2. Lack of social support


Family
Peers
3. Lack of academic support


Other students
Faculty mentors
4. Lack of opportunities



Research
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) preparation
Study abroad options

DePaul University
◦ Largest Catholic university in US. Circa 25,000 students
◦ Only 1 of the 10 largest private (and selective) universities that
nevertheless emphasizes teaching more than research
◦ DePaul’s Vincentian Mission: to provide educational opportunities and
services to those who traditionally would not have access to them.
◦ Serves the surrounding community in a variety of ways
◦ Highly diverse: 1/5th of first year students are either Hispanic or African
American, 1/3rd are 1st generation college families and 1/3rd are from lowincome families
◦ The McNair Scholars Program is one of DePaul’s many programs that
offers specifically academic support to under-represented students.

A. Brief History
McNair Scholars Program
Arnold Mitchem Fellowship
U.S. Department of Education, 1986
DePaul University, Chicago, 2011
Mission: To prepare 3rd and 4th year students
from low-income, first-generation
backgrounds or under-represented groups
for success in post-graduate school.
Mission: To prepare 2nd year students from
under-represented groups for success in
post-graduate school.

B. The Arnold Mitchem Fellowship (2nd year students)
◦ Critical Thinking and Awareness
◦ 1. Fall Quarter

Critical Thinking
 (formal and informal logic)
◦ 2. Winter Quarter

Critical Writing
 (rhetorical and visual strategies)
◦ 3. Spring Quarter

Critical Research
 (literature review and research proposal)
◦ 4. Summer Quarter

Summer Research and Service Experience, abroad

C. The McNair Scholars Program (3rd year students)
◦ 1. Fall Quarter
 Induction
◦ 2. Winter Quarter
 Summer Application Portfolio
◦ 3. Spring Quarter
 Craft of Your Research
◦ 4. Summer Quarter
 Summer Research Opportunity Program

C. The McNair Scholars Program (4th year students)
◦ 1. Fall Quarter
 Post-Graduate Application Portfolio
◦ 2. Winter Quarter
 Funding Application Portfolio
◦ 3. Spring Quarter
 Career Planning/Transitioning

D. McNair Program-Supported Activities
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Study abroad
Research abroad
Conference attendance and presentations
Funds for a variety of educational materials
School visits
Community service
McNair Journal
McNair magazine
Independent study
Community building events
McNair Research Symposium
Friends and Family Event
(Peer) mentoring
Advising
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation

Our student demographics
◦ Since 1999 the DePaul McNair/Mitchem program has enrolled
162 participants (current and past):
◦ Our average cohort size is between 10 and 15 students.
◦ Females: 78% (127), Males: 22% (35)
◦ Average GPA at DePaul Graduation: 3.58 on 4.0 scale
Participants Eligibility
Participants Entry Year
18%
28%
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
92%
65%
First Gen/Low
54%
100%
Income
Minority
Either First
Gen/Low
Income or
Minority
DePaul McNair Students' Post-Graduate School
Fields of Study
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
50%
19%
4%
13%
7%
7%
Type of Degrees Earned by McNair Scholars
100%
98%
95%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
DePaul
48%
40%
National
30%
20%
15%
10%
4%
4%
0%
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctoral
DePaul McNair sample size (n=124) based on students entering the program between
1999 and 2010 who completed the first year. National data based on alumni from
1989-2001 (Source: Office of Postsecondary Education, 2005).

1. How does the diversity in post-graduate education and faculty in the
UK or internationally compare to that in the United States?

2. What other challenges for students from under-represented groups
are important in the UK context? What role does geography play?

3. Is an increase in academic diversity a moral imperative? Is it a
pragmatic option? What precise benefits does diversity offer?


4. What programs and strategies do you use to increase this diversity in
education? Which are the most beneficial for the students? How can they
be expanded to address post-graduate education?
5. What is the future of the university and how does a local/global
change in its demographics affect the chances of that future?