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Welcome, Anonymous

    Welcome, Anonymous

PhDs

By the time I got to grad school, I knew that Mellon was special, that there was something very distinct about it that the rest of my colleagues didn't have. I knew I was onto something.
Stephanie Larrieux, MMUF PhD and Assistant Professor of Screen Studies, Clark University

PhDs

A panel of MMUF PhDs speaks at the MMUF graduate student summer conference.
 

The MMUF program's support for fellows continues beyond graduate school into their postdoctoral and faculty careers. The American Council of Learned Societies and the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, under grants awarded by the Mellon Foundation, offer two major events designed to support Mellon PhDs as they navigate the milestones of their faculty careers: the PhD Retreat and the Junior Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship.

In addition, fellows who complete the PhD in eligible fields may apply to receive a final payment of $5,000 to be used toward payment of their undergraduate or graduate school loans. Fellows who wish to request this final payment should contact the MMUF coordinator their undergraduate institution.

Events for PhDs
The PhD Retreat

The final component of the MMUF sequential series of graduate initiatives is the PhD Retreat, which brings together Mellon PhDs for three days in January every other year. This event is designed exclusively for those fellows who have completed the doctorate, with preference given to those who are at the reappointment stage or close to tenure. The PhD Retreat is an opportunity to reflect on the transformative journey Mellon PhDs have made from college to graduate school to the completion of the doctorate and to discuss issues and milestones they are now confronting as young faculty members; in past years, the program has focused on teaching, research, publication and funding. Finally, the Retreat provides an opportunity to revive and solidify relationships with colleagues and mentors, expand professional networks, and re-commit to the mission of MMUF.

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars' Junior Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship

The Junior Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship, administered under a Mellon Foundation grant by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars since 2001, has supported more than 500 junior faculty members, creating a robust network of scholars committed to engagement and scholarship in core fields in the arts and humanities. Fellows have gone on to serve in administrative and leadership roles, receive high honors like MacArthur Fellowships, and teach new generations of students.

Fellows receive stipends up to $35,000, funding for travel and research, and attend a retreat to connect with other scholars and mentors.

Benefits of the Fellowship

Fellows are committed to campus engagement and innovative research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Through the program, they build an academic community and system of support as they pursue careers as university faculty and administrators.

-Dedicated time, financial support, and resources, including stipends up to $35,000 and research/travel funding

-Access to a professional network of more than 500 Fellows who are shaping the arts and humanities through research, teaching, leadership and public engagement

-Mentorship and community through retreats and ongoing peer connections that offer guidance, collaboration, and support as Fellows move through their careers

-A proven pathway to advancement, with many Fellows earning tenure, full professorships, and key academic and administrative roles

Award and Selection Details

-A stipend of $35,000 sent to the Fellow's institution

- A $1,500 grant to support the Fellow's research, travel, or publication

The Fellow's institution is expected to supplement the Career Enhancement Fellowship stipend so that the Fellow receives his/her academic salary. Additionally, the institution is expected to provide yearly health and benefits coverage. The award cannot be transferred to another institution; it will be sent to the institution that the applicant indicates when applying for the fellowship.

Eligibility

-Junior faculty with a demonstrated commitment to campus engagement and innovative research

-While all faculty members who meet the below required criteria may apply, those who have been Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows are strongly encouraged to do so.

Required Criteria

-At the time of application, applicants must be considered by their institution to be in the third year of a tenure-track teaching appointment (the award is distributed in the fourth year of the tenure track).

-Teaching in a designated field, although interdisciplinary work will also be considered. Designated humanities fields include area/cultural/ethnic/gender studies, art history, classics, English, film/cinema/media studies (theoretical focus), musicology/ethnomusicology/music theory, foreign languages and literatures, history, linguistics, literature, performance studies (theoretical focus), philosophy and political theory, religion and theology, theater (theoretical focus). Social science fields include anthropology and archaeology, demography, sociology, geography and population studies.

-Applicants should have completed no more than two years on the tenure track at another institution prior to joining their current institution.

-Applicants must have the ability to accept the fellowship in the upcoming academic year. The fellowship must be continuous.

-Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

 

Loan Repayment
Loan Repayment for PhDs

MMUF fellows who have entered eligible PhD programs and received previous loan repayment monies during their first four years of graduate school  are eligible for a final loan repayment award of $5,000 upon completion of the PhD. Fellows are required to submit a loan deferment form and verify completion of the doctorate when requesting this final payment.

Fellows who have undergraduate debt totaling less than $10,000 may use the remaining balance of their loan repayment funds to repay graduate loans. Graduate loans may only be repaid upon completion of the PhD. The total amount of loan repayment funds will not exceed $10,000 and may only be used toward designated educational loans from recognized lenders for graduate study.