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Mellon Mays

Department Overview

Mission

The fundamental objective of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) is to support "a diverse professoriate" and to promote "the value of multivocality in the humanities and related disciplines, elevating accounts, interpretations, and narratives that expand present understandings." In 1988, under this broad charter, the Mellon Foundation made a long-term commitment to help remedy the serious shortage of faculty of color in higher education.

The MMUF Program at Swarthmore

In 1988, Swarthmore was one of eight charter institutions chosen to participate in the program. Since the beginning, more than 150 students have participated in the program. More than 30 alumni received PhDs in eligible fields from institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, University of Washington, University of California – Berkeley, and the University of Chicago. Alums currently serve or have served as faculty members at institutions such as Yale University, Brown University, Swarthmore College, and Morehouse College. Additional alums hold leadership positions at organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the American Museum of Natural History. 

At Swarthmore College, outstanding students, with goals to pursue careers in academia, can find support in the MMUF program. Through a network of mentorship, workshops, guest lectures, and skill-building, the MMUF program assists fellows with graduate school preparation and provides an enriched undergraduate experience. The MMUF program at Swarthmore annually involves ten students preparing to enter doctoral programs in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. MMUF students are chosen through a year-long process of nominations and interviews. Students selected for the program begin their fellowship with a research project during their first summer and continue to receive support in preparing for the GRE, applying for graduate school, and presenting at conferences.

 

Mame Bonsu ’14 presents her summer research

Niamba Baskerville ’14 presents her summer research

Janelle Viera ’14 with her faculty mentor, Professor Nina Johnson

Danielle Fitzgerald ’15 and Professor Micheline Rice-Maximin

Tania Uruchima ’16 and Uriel Medina Espino ’16

Jareema Hylton ’16 and Cortnie Belser ’15

Cortnie Belser ’15

Cortnie Belser ’15

Swarthmore’s Fellows attend the MMUF Regional Conference at Princeton (Spring 2016)

Allison Alcéna ’17 (center) presents her research 

Geoffrey Shepard ’16 (center) presents his research at Princeton (Spring 2016)

Quinn Wong ’16 (center) and Tania Uruchima ’16 (right) present their research at Princeton (Spring 2016)

Allison Alcéna ’17

Allison Alcéna presents her research at the University of Pennsylvania (fall 2016) 

Mosea Esaias ’17

Mame Bonsu ’14 presents her summer research

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Student at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student at Mellon Mays dinner speaks with President Smith Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student at Mellon Mays dinner with Mark Wallace and Karen Henry Photo by Laurence Kesterson
President Smith at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student speaks with professor at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Student at Mellon Mays dinner Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Dion Lewis and Jamie Thomas Photo by Laurence Kesterson
President Smith and Dion Lewis Photo by Laurence Kesterson
President smith speaks with student Photo by Laurence Kesterson
Photo / Laurence Kesterson
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Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

The program's name, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, honors and symbolically connects its mission to the stellar educational achievements of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays.

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Mentoring

Each Mellon fellow is paired with a faculty mentor. The mentor-fellow relationship is one of mutual respect and commitment. Students work with their mentors to develop their scholarly interests into research directions and design.

 

Mentoring Philosophy