Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award

Leading on Campus Through Excellence and Inclusion

The Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders (MEFL) are building inclusive campus communities through their teaching, scholarship, and service. Awardees are early-career faculty whose research focuses on contemporary American history, politics, culture, and society. In addition to bringing a diversity of perspectives to their fields, MEFL awardees are building support systems, networks, and affinity groups for their students and peers.

Funded by the Mellon Foundation, the MEFL award provides a $20,000 stipend—$12,000 to be used for summer research support and $8,000 for research assistance during the academic year.

THE CHALLENGE:

The junior faculty best positioned to help create more inclusive academic communities for the next generation are often the most overburdened

THE FELLOWS:

76 faculty from seven cohorts have received support, with a tenure rate of 80+% among those eligible to date

THE IMPACT:

Junior faculty committed to inclusion on campus gain resources to balance their research, leadership, and mentoring responsibilities while working toward tenure

I create opportunities for the students to be part of the conversation, providing them with a supportive environment to learn from and to be in dialogue with each other, empowering them to find their own voices and draw from their own experiences, and challenging them to listen deeply to others who might hold views different from their own.”

Van Tran
Van Tran 2018 Fellow

Accelerating Scholarship and Inclusivity

C&S Fellows from the Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders program are deeply committed to their teaching, scholarship, and service. These Fellows are working on campuses across the country to build support systems, networks, and affinity groups for their students and peers.

Featured Fellows

Alex E. Chávez

Alex E. Chávez

Tiffany Joseph

Tiffany Joseph

Lerone A. Martin

Lerone A. Martin

Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Chair and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute

Reshaping Higher Education

 

Established in 2015 as the Malkiel Scholars Award, the program was extended and renamed in late 2019. The more than 60 faculty members awarded this honor represent the next generation of leaders and scholars in the humanities and social sciences, poised to play a significant role in shaping American higher education.

Fellowship & Funding Opportunities

Learn more about our other Fellowship opportunities for scholars & education leaders.

More Fellowships