It was through her vision and leadership that funding was secured. Assistance was provided by Dr. Richard Skalko, Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, who also serves as the Assistant Project Director. Almost half of the operating budget of the McNair program is provided through faculty release time which enables them to serve as mentors to the program participants. Initially, the program focused on students interested in life science careers. Research projects include both qualitative and quantitative studies.
Students have access to state of the art equipment with which to conduct their research.
Having both an academic year and a summer component has allowed the ETSU program to meet the needs of disadvantaged students who attend not only ETSU, but also institutions throughout the region.