Transforming Faculties

A great university, like UCLA, is a melting pot of dynamic people and ideas. On our campus, budding and established scholars from a wide range of cultures apply their varying perspectives to an even wider range of disciplines. A recent gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will further establish UCLA as a West Coast hub for interdisciplinary scholarship and developing diverse faculty. The foundation has given $440,000 to create a six-week summer program known as the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Writing and Research Training Program. This intensive writing and research experience will serve as a model for institutions across the country, further establishing UCLA as a place for firsts.

Nurturing New Academics

Since 1988, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has been working to transform college faculties through increased diversity. Named after the historic educator and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the MMUF encourages minority students and others committed to the ideals of the program to enter PhD programs. Five new MMUF fellows are selected annually from each of the 46 member institutions.

During the summer, MMUF fellows are encouraged to apply to research programs at other West Coast colleges and universities. However, summer programs are limited in number, making entry highly competitive. The MMUF Writing and Research Training Program will expand such opportunities by reserving 15 of its 20 spots for students from West Coast schools.

Setting the Standard

This UCLA program also recognizes the vital interdependence between the writing and research disciplines, which are at the core of every academic subject. Thanks to our forward-thinking donor, these disciplines will be brought together into a single dynamic course, yet another example of UCLA’s innovation and dedication to striving at once for excellence and diversity.

Published March 2016

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship encourages minority students and others committed to the ideals of the program to enter PhD programs.