New McNair director/ new summer assistantship course

Melanie Ragin has been at Binghamton University for less than a year as the associate director of the McNair Scholars Program. Since her arrival in July 2014, she has focused on building relationships across campus.

One might not expect someone with a PhD in pathobiology with a focus on immunology from Penn State to be directing a program like McNair, but the fit is a good one. 

Ragin most recently had worked at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biological Sciences, where she was director of the Office Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement.

“I was interested in the Binghamton position because I really wanted the opportunity to play an active role in helping all students, but especially those from historically underrepresented groups and economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, learn about the benefits of graduate education, specifically the PhD, eventually diversifying the professoriate by earning PhDs,” she said. “The McNair Scholars Program fills a gap by educating and bringing awareness to a group of students that may not have encountered professors with PhDs that they can relate to, which limits their understanding of what a PhD is and why it is important.”

Ragin said she realized Binghamton was right for her during her interviews. “There was a feeling I could get things done and people were going to work with others and cooperate in the best interests of the program and the students,” she said.

Praising the quality of the students here and the ability to work with so many people across campus, Ragin said her position allows her the flexibility to work with many offices in support of students. “My experience is that this is the most open and broad McNair Program. We actively work to engage all departments, programs and offices across campus.”

As Ragin’s vision has grown since she arrived, so have her hopes to grow the program, with appropriate funding to support the growth and the solid relationships being built with Transfer Services, EOP and Student Support Services. “Everyone here is willing to step up and help, and that allows me to reach out a lot farther and connect with students who wouldn’t otherwise know about the program,” she said. 

“We are recruiting, conducting workshops, and this semester we are working with Myra Sabir in CCPA, a school that the program has never had a relationship with in the past,” she said. “We have also forged a strong relationship with Zach DuBord and transfer students, with Nancy Stamp at the Freshman Research Initiative, and through summer research projects, just to name a few. We also have a strong Advisory Board that has proved critical in identifying ways to strengthen our partnerships across campus, and with students and their families to retain them and keep them engaged so that they continue on to graduate school.” 

The Summer Assistantship course kicks off in a few months as well. “It’s brand new this summer and will allow McNair Summer Scholars to enhance their experiences through a course dedicated to research development, data analysis and test preparation, but in a concentrated period of time while they are here in the summer,” Ragin said. “At the moment, we’re capping the course at 20 for our first try.

Students will have to apply to be a McNair Summer Scholar, and if accepted will be able to take the assistantship course as part of their experience. “The McNair Program doesn’t have a dedicated curriculum and I saw a need for this course,” Ragin said. “We collaborate with LSAMP and Bridges to the Baccalaureate, but our program hasn’t dedicated itself to data analysis or how to think about data and other research environment skills.”

Ragin would also like to create a McNair journal about the experiences McNair students are having. “I’d like to create publishable research and I’m hoping this course will be a jumping off point for these students to get their research out there.”

There are currently about 40 McNair Scholars at Binghamton. To be eligible, a student must have completed 48 credit hours, have a 3.0 GPA and have an interest in research in an identified area or be looking to work with a researcher on our campus. In addition, students must be from a disadvantaged background, first generation and/or from an underrepresented minority.

Typical McNair students are high-achieving and driven, who perhaps haven’t had the same academic and social support as other students due to their background or where they came from. “They generally need extra guidance in planning a path for their future, specifically grad school. We serve to help with that,” said Ragin. “Students need to realize the value of mentoring, education and research experience. When I was a student I wanted to do research and I still enjoy research, but I did not completely appreciate the value of the mentorship I had received and the opportunities a graduate education can provide. Now that I realize how important each of those is, I am committed to providing support to all students, but specifically those from disadvantaged backgrounds,” said Ragin. “That’s what drives me.”

The population of McNair Scholars who are seniors preparing to graduate is large, but successful, Ragin added. “The vast majority are going on to graduate programs,” she said. “Typically, at least half of our grads go on to doctoral programs each year, and about 90 percent onto graduate programs at some level. This year, for example, we have students going to U Penn, the University at Buffalo and the Fordham University, just to name a few; we are very proud of each our scholars.”

Ragin sees the program limited in terms of enrollment expansion, based on the funding received through the Department of Education. She spends a portion of her time writing grants because “we could support more students, programming and recruitment efforts if we had the funding.”

“One thing I would like to do is find a way to bridge and find an opportunity for some of our students to stay here to complete their graduate work as PhD, students by creating a bridging program or McNair Graduate Fellowship,” she said. “Summer programs often serve as a bridge to graduate school. A McNair graduate fellowship would serve to provide an opportunity to retain McNair Scholars in graduate programs on campus, specifically STEM-focused departments and programs, helping to recruit and retain top students that are McNair alumni, diversifying graduate programs and the general campus community. We’re a natural fit for creating, developing and implementing these initiatives that perfectly align with the University’s Road Map Strategic Plan.”

“Our main goal is to reach all corners of the campus, and fortunately my background allows me the diversity to move into different areas and engage different people,” she said.

One other corner she reaches into is the classroom. She puts her PhD in pathobiology to work in the classroom, teaching Intro to Public Health.
Ragin developed the curriculum for the graduate-level course, which is being offered for the first time at Binghamton.