Faculty mentors are asked to contribute their time, knowledge, and encouragement to our McNair Scholars and assist them in learning more about the research process and in completing a research project. Mentors provide in-depth support to undergraduates who are interested in attending and completing their doctoral degree (PhD, EdD, PsyD). It is very similar to what you might imagine a very strong mentor might provide to graduate students to assist them in learning the ins and outs of graduate study and supporting them in the completion of their degree, including introducing the mentee to various networks and colleagues and advising them as best as possible.
In their first summer, students complete a Summer Research Internship, of about 30 hours each week (including workshop attendance and preparation for graduate school application) from about the middle of May through about the first week of August, resulting in a research paper of approximately 25-pages, or what is respectable in the field of inquiry. We ask that mentors meet one-on-one and in-person with their mentee at least once a week throughout the Summer Research Internship and to guide them in the requirements of research in their field and how to write a research paper (mirroring scholarly articles). During the academic year, a similar set-up is available for returning scholars and altered accordingly to fit within the additional demands of an academic schedule – for research completed in the Fall and Spring, we ask that mentors meet with mentees once a week or every other week for about an hour.
Mentors are additionally asked to assist students in their preparation of presenting their research, including for a McNair conference either in July or September and in September at our Annual Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program Research Symposium. We encourage our Scholars to present at conferences within their respective fields.
If you’re interested in being a McNair Scholars Program Faculty Mentor and have an earned doctorate and are a faculty member at UA Little Rock, please contact McNair Scholars Program Director Ashia Hall Muhammad at axhall1@ualr.edu.