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 transform higher education faculty in the United States.
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.
