OU's McNair Scholars Program held a banquet Thursday in the Oklahoma Memorial Union honoring 29 McNair scholars, 10 of whom will graduate in May.

The program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, has been at OU for almost two years, said Danielle DeHaas, project specialist.

Shannon Freeman, McNair director, said the program helps students prepare for graduate school by pairing them up with a matching faculty mentor. Faculty mentors guide students through the process of preparing research projects.

Also, McNair scholars visit many graduate colleges, DeHaas said. The scholars are highly recruited by many different graduate schools, including OU.

To be accepted into the program, students must be interested in pursuing a graduate degree and have a 2.75minimum grade-point average, DeHaas said.

The application process is highly competitive, DeHaas said. However, one of the main benefits of the program is it gives students the opportunity to go to graduate school.

"The foundation of the program is to serve first generation low-income students and under-represented minorities," DeHaas said. "The program helps students of all walks of life."

The program's goal is to graduate 20 students each year, DeHaas said. The program graduated two students in December and it will graduate 10 more in May.

Also, 17 McNair scholars who were recently accepted into the program were honored at the banquet.

Shiloe Bear, a McNair scholar who will graduate in May, said it is a great program for students who can't afford to pay for graduate school.

"It feels awesome to graduate from this program," Bear said.

Amber Jackson, McNair scholar, said her faculty mentor has guided her through the research necessary for her research paper.

"They read your abstract and make sure everything is perfect," Jackson said.

In December 2000, the program graduated Kristina Diamond and Kerry Joseph, DeHaas said. Diamond is attending OU's graduate school, pursuing a master's degree in engineering. Joseph is attending New York City's Polytechnic University, pursuing graduate studies in financial engineering.
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