Faculty keen on enhancing the diversity of the WSU community are increasingly interested in taking on graduate students from groups traditionally underrepresented in graduate studies nationally. These faculty will have an opportunity to meet top candidates Jan. 25-28, when the WSU Graduate School brings 30-50 college seniors from around the country to the Pullman campus.
Most of these undergraduates will come with research experience. That’s because many will be McNair Scholars, part of a nationwide program to prepare low-income, first-generation and underrepresented (Native American, African American and Chicana/o Latina/o) undergraduates for future doctoral studies. WSU has participated in the McNair Program since 1999.
“I don’t know of another effort like this, where a graduate school helps to bring in top competitive students from around the country,” said Howard Grimes, dean of the WSU Graduate School.
To participate, students must be low-income, first-generation or underrepresented and must apply for graduate study at WSU. Participants will be selected from the best of this pool.
Faculty who want to participate to aid WSU diversity efforts — or faculty who may already have an underrepresented future graduate student in mind who they’d like to bring to campus for this visitation — can contact Steve Burkett, associate dean of the Graduate School, at 335-6424.
“Participation by faculty and departments will be critical to this effort,” Burkett said.
While here, students will meet with faculty in major- and discipline-specific teams, said Ramon Herrera, associate director of the WSU McNair Program. They will meet with WSU graduate students and with Multicultural Student Services.
“We want to communicate to them the benefits of coming to WSU,” Grimes said.
The McNair Program at WSU and elsewhere is funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The WSU visitation will allow access to McNair Scholars that WSU otherwise would not have.
“These will be good students,” Burkett said. “They will come with some research experience, and they will help WSU progress in its efforts to emphasize diversity.”
Diversity is important among graduate students, said Grimes, because they are the leaders of the future. “The world needs a variety of perspectives and insights brought to solving problems and making advances,” he said.
