Today, the 25^th anniversary of the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion, the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) commemorates the memory of Astronaut Ronald E. McNair, who was among the seven crew members to perish in the tragedy. Dr. McNair’s many outstanding accomplishments include graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University; receiving, at the age of 26, a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and becoming the second African American to travel in space. Dr. McNair’s academic and professional achievements inspired students all across the country to pursue higher education and attain the levels of excellence that he achieved. Seizing upon Dr. McNair’s example, the federal government created a pathway to opportunity for low-income and underrepresented students to help them prepare for doctoral education through the 1986 Higher Education Amendments, which established the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.

The more than 5,000 McNair scholars, who represent the exponential increase in the number of low-income, first-generation college students and students from groups underrepresented in graduate education since the 600 first McNair scholars in 1989, are evidence of the program’s success. The contributions of McNair scholars—rigorous research, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines, as well as a more diverse graduate student population and, ultimately, a more diverse higher education faculty—are vital to our country’s efforts to become more innovative and globally competitive. COE and the entire TRIO community salute the memory and accomplishments of Dr. McNair.