McNair Scholars Conference on Campus This Thursday and Friday

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McNair Scholars listen to a presentation on how to apply to graduate school during the University of Arkansas 2010 McNair Conference.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Graduate School and International Education will host the University of Arkansas’ second McNair Scholars Research Conference on Thursday, Oct. 20, and Friday, Oct. 21.

Twenty-six McNair scholars from nine institutions will visit Fayetteville for the conference. McNair Scholars, who undergraduate students selected to receive mentoring and training, commit that they each will pursue and eventually earn a doctoral degree. McNair Scholars visit several research universities as part of the training they receive, so that when they apply to graduate school they will have a good understanding of these institutions.

“Our first McNair Conference last year was a great success by all measures, and we're excited to welcome this group of talented McNair Scholars to the campus,” said Todd Shields, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. “We hope that many of these students will eventually decide to attend graduate school here; we are confident that the excellent preparation they receive in the McNair Scholars program will help them succeed. Introducing prospective graduate students to the rich and vibrant atmosphere of our university is one of the best ways to recruit them.”

During the conference, students will attend a graduate school fair, present posters in a research conference setting and visit academic departments to learn about graduate programs of interest to them.

The students will have the unique opportunity to hear from a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator, Nikki Giovanni, who is speaking at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in the Verizon Ballroom at the Arkansas Union. Giovanni grew up in Cincinnati, graduated with honors in history from her grandfather's alma mater, Fisk University, and has been a poetic voice of the African American experience since the late 1960s. She has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech since 1987 and is currently a University Distinguished Professor. Giovanni's talk is part of the University of Arkansas Distinguished Lecture Series, and marks the first time the series has collaborated with a single college to bring a speaker to campus.

Friday night's keynote for the McNair Scholars will be presented by Denise Marcia, an etiquette coach who visits with colleges and corporate groups, empowering young people and executives in career growth through the use of proper and important soft skills.