Give to RGPN and the RGPN McNair Scholars Program

Who We Are

Since 1992, the UMBC RGPN McNair Scholars Program has prepared first generation, income eligible, and historically excluded RGPN & McNair Scholars to earn doctoral degrees and transform the academy. Named for Dr. Ronald E. McNair, the physicist and astronaut who gave his life aboard the Challenger, the program carries his conviction that talent is everywhere and opportunity should be too. Through the Retriever Graduate Preparation Network (RGPN), that mission now reaches hundreds of scholars across every stage of the graduate preparation journey.

Giving Call to Action

Your gift supports RGPN & McNair Scholars in their efforts to conduct original research, prepare for doctoral study, and build the graduate school application that opens the next door. Contributions help us provide the testing fees, conference travel, mentoring, and milestone experiences that federal funding alone cannot cover, for every scholar across our network, not only those in the federally funded cohort.

Closing Statement

Every contribution, big or small, breaks down financial barriers and powers our success, driving real impact every single year. Join us in shaping the future of UMBC and preparing RGPN & McNair Scholars to flourish.

Make a Gift to the RGPN McNair Scholars Program

Consider supporting the RGPN McNair Scholar Fund, which provides application support, research travel, and milestone experiences for our federally funded McNair Scholars. Because federal TRIO dollars cannot reach the rest of our network, your gift is also what makes programming possible for RGPN Scholars, Trailblazers, Navigators, and Explorers, our full community of income eligible and historically excluded students preparing for graduate school.

To give online: select the button above, type “McNair” under Designation, and choose “McNair Scholar Fund.”

Two Communities, One Mission

RGPN McNair Scholars participate in a federally funded TRIO program that supports intensive research training, faculty mentorship, and preparation for doctoral study. Federal funds cover the core of their experience, but not everything they need to thrive.

The wider RGPN community includes scholars engaged at every stage of the graduate preparation journey: RGPN Scholars, who commit fully to the program and prepare for graduate study across all fields and degree paths; Trailblazers, who engage intensively as they move toward graduate applications; Navigators, who are actively building their preparation through workshops, mentoring, and community programming; and Explorers, who are discovering whether graduate education is the right path for them.

Federal TRIO funds cannot be used to support scholars outside the McNair cohort. Every Saturday Academy seat, every Let’s Talk Grad School session, every mentoring relationship, every application fee waiver, and every conference opportunity for an RGPN Scholar, Trailblazer, Navigator, or Explorer must be funded another way. That way is you.

Other Ways to Support Our Scholars

• Sponsor the Annual Conference. Institutional sponsors and graduate program representatives play a vital role in the Annual UMBC McNair and Undergraduate Research National Conference. Sponsorship connects your institution directly with talented scholars preparing for graduate study.
• Join the Community of Supporters. Alumni, faculty, community members, and Thought Partners extend the reach of RGPN and the RGPN McNair Scholars Program through mentoring, hosting scholars, sharing opportunities, and advocacy.
• Give in honor or in memory. Gifts may be made in honor of a faculty mentor or a graduating scholar, or in memory of someone whose life reflected Dr. McNair’s legacy of excellence and service. Note the honoree in the comments field of the giving form.

Additional Ways to Give

Want to explore other ways to support UMBC? Learn about matching gifts, stock gifts, and mailed contributions on the Ways to Give page.

Gift Officer Contact

If you have questions about giving to the RGPN McNair Scholars Program, please contact us at mcnairs@umbc.edu or (410) 455-3277.

A Word from the Director

“Every student who walks through our doors carries the hopes of a family, a community, and a future the academy has not yet imagined. Federal funding allows us to serve some of them. Your generosity allows us to serve all of them. When you give to RGPN and the RGPN McNair Scholars Program, you are joining a lineage of people who refuse to let talent go unrecognized. On behalf of our scholars, our Trailblazers, Navigators, and Explorers, our staff, and the generations to come, thank you.”
Rev. Michael A. Hunt, PhD, Director

Many employers match charitable gifts. Check with your human resources office to see if your gift can be doubled.

Thank you for your generosity and for believing in our scholars.