Individual contributions are gladly accepted to support the work of the Retriever Graduate Preparation Network (RGPN) and the McNair Scholars Program. To help in this way:
- Select the giving button (See below)
- Under “Designation” type “McNair”
- Choose “McNair Scholar Fund”
Give to the RGPN McNair Scholar Fund
Invest in the Next Generation of Scholars
Since 1992, the UMBC RGPN McNair Scholars Program has prepared first generation, income eligible students and students from historically excluded groups 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 forward his conviction that talent is everywhere and opportunity should be too.
Today, that mission reaches beyond the federally funded McNair cohort. Through the Retriever Graduate Preparation Network (RGPN), UMBC extends graduate preparation, mentoring, and community to hundreds of students who share the same aspirations. And it is here that your gift matters most.
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 students 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
- Explorers, who are discovering whether graduate education is the right path for them
Here is what most donors do not know: federal TRIO funds cannot be used to support students 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.
Why Your Gift Matters
Your gift does two things federal dollars cannot. It extends what federal funding starts for RGPN McNair Scholars:
- Graduate school application and testing costs, including GRE registration, preparation resources, and transcript fees
- Research and conference travel beyond what federal funds allow
- Milestone celebrations, including the Induction and Graduation Torch Ceremony
- Emergency and opportunity needs, from professional attire to campus visit travel
It makes the RGPN community possible for everyone else:
- Programming and mentoring for RGPN Scholars, Trailblazers, Navigators, and Explorers, none of which can draw on federal funds
- Graduate preparation resources, GRE support, and application assistance for students the federal grant cannot reach
- Access to the Annual UMBC McNair and Undergraduate Research National Conference for the full RGPN community
- A pipeline that meets students wherever they are, from first curiosity about graduate school to submitted applications
When you give, you are not filling a gap. You are funding an entire community that would not otherwise exist.
The Impact of Your Investment [ More to Come]
How to Give
Individual contributions of every size are gladly accepted and deeply appreciated. To give online:
- Select the giving button below
- Under “Designation,” type “McNair”
- Choose “McNair Scholar Fund”
Thank you for your donation.
Give to the RGPN McNair Scholar Fund
Many employers match charitable gifts. Check with your human resources office to see if your gift can be doubled.
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. Visit our 2026 Conference page to learn more.
- Join the Community of Supporters. Alumni, faculty, community members, and supporters 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, a graduating scholar, or a loved one, or in memory of someone whose life reflected Dr. McNair’s legacy of excellence and service. Simply note the honoree in the comments field of the giving form.
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
Questions About Giving? Contact the RGPN McNair Scholars Program at mcnairs@umbc.edu or (410) 455-3277.
Thank you for your generosity and for believing in our students!