Dr. Tim Edwards, associate professor in the School of Mass Communications, has been named Mentor of the Year in the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program for successfully mentoring numerous students in the program for several years.

The Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program is one of the Federal TRIO Programs governed by the U.S. Department of Education. These programs were designed with the purpose of providing support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to be successful in the academic world.

The McNair Scholars Program works with college students possessing aspirations of obtaining doctoral degrees. At UALR, 25 scholars are chosen each year to participate in an enriching Summer and/or Fall Internship Program.

Named for the astronaut who died aboard the Challenger, the McNair program has an objective to provide educational experiences which will prepare undergraduates for doctoral study. The TRIO program under the U.S. Department of Education is 100 percent federally funded.

Students enrolled at UALR who are either low-income and first generation college students or from minority groups under represented in graduate education are invited to submit an application for acceptance into the program.

Drs. Dale Zacher and Mark Giese also served as McNair mentors last year.