U.S. Department of Education Awards $1.3 Million McNair Grant to Bloomfield College

The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded a five-year Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) grant in the amount of $1.3 million for FY2023-2028 to Bloomfield College to prepare first-generation, income-eligible college students and members of underrepresented groups for doctoral study.

“Our McNair scholars have traditionally gone on to earn graduate degrees and to play leadership roles in critical research,” said Beverly Fields, Bloomfield College McNair Scholars Program Director. “Oftentimes, McNair scholars contribute to research projects while still undergraduates. The opportunities that open up to them through the McNair grant funding are unparalleled.”

In addition to providing coveted opportunities for research and other scholarly activities, such as summer internships and seminars, McNair-funded initiatives at Bloomfield College traditionally include individualized mentoring, tutoring and academic counseling as well as assistance with securing admission to, and financial assistance for, enrollment in graduate programs. Current Bloomfield College sophomores or first-semester junior students may apply for the Bloomfield College McNair Scholars Program through the College’s online application.

Bloomfield College has been the recipient of McNair grants since 2009. Project funding requires Bloomfield College to serve 25 participants across a five-year period. The College is one of 189 institutions of higher education across the United States awarded a portion of a total $51.7 million in McNair Grants announced this August, and one of six McNair Grant projects receiving funding in New Jersey.

According to the U.S. Department of Education website, McNair grant funds also support institutions of higher education in providing low-income students, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities with services designed to improve financial and economic literacy of students, and exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students.

Photo Caption: Bloomfield College McNair Scholar Destiny King ’22 presented a poster of her research at an Annual National McNair Research Conference held at the University of Maryland, College Park, entitled “Visualizing the Luciferin/Luciferase Light Reaction.” The following year, the McNair Scholar was recognized as a Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) award winner at the organization’s 2022 national conference for her research presentation entitled “Twinkle, Twinkle, Variable Star, How I Wonder How Far You Are.”