Francis Marion University names McNair Scholars

Francis Marion University has named two students as recipients of the prestigious McNair Scholarship for the 2018-2019 school year.

Alyse Hewitt of Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, S.C.; and Dalisay Aldrete of Aiken High School in Aiken, S.C. are the newest scholars. Hewitt will major in Psychology and Aldrete plans to major in Elementary Education.

The McNair Scholarship is FMU’s highest academic scholarship award.

It’s based not only on scholarship, but on community involvement as well. The University seeks to award the scholarship to students who desire to serve their community, and who have already exhibited a willingness and ability to do so.

McNair scholars are selected by a special committee made up of Francis Marion University faculty and administrators. The privately endowed scholarship was established in the 2009-2010 school year and is named in honor of former South Carolina Governor Robert E. McNair, who was instrumental in the creation of Francis Marion University. McNair’s own life of service is a model for the scholarship’s aims.

Dr. Christopher Johnson, a Francis Marion University professor of English and director of the McNair Institute for Research and Service says the prestigious scholarship highlights students that are adept within the classroom, while also emphasizing a commitment to public service.

“The selection process is especially rigorous,” Johnson says. From scores of applications submitted from across the state, only a handful of students are invited for campus interviews, and only two or three scholars are selected each year. Once on campus, McNair Scholars are held to high standards and are expected to become campus leaders.  We are enormously proud of this year’s recipients and confident that they will continue the McNair legacy.”

Throughout their academic careers, McNair Scholars will be encouraged to participate in community-centered activities, especially those that benefit the Pee Dee region. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, room and some book fees. It also provides McNair Scholars with several travel opportunities, including travel abroad.