Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship

Established in 1988, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is committed to supporting demographic transformation in higher education and to promoting the value of multivocality in the humanities and related disciplines. Its name honors Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the noted African American educator, statesman, minister, and former president of Morehouse College.

Founded with an initial cohort of eight member institutions, the program has grown to include forty-seven member schools and three consortia, including the UNCF consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

• Anthropology and Archaeology
• Area/Cultural/Ethnic/Gender Studies
• Art History
• Classics
• Geography and Population Studies
• English
• Film, Cinema and Media Studies (theoretical focus)
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• History
• Linguistics
• Literature
• Musicology and Ethnomusicology
• Performance Studies (theoretical focus)
• Philosophy and Political Theory
• Religion and Theology
• Sociology
• Theater

Students gather weekly to present their research, exchange and critique ideas, support each other's goals, and participate in professional development workshops.

Students attend lectures or other events at nearby MMUF host campuses, as well. We also plan cultural outings such as attending theatrical or dance performances.

Academic Year: Each fellow is awarded a stipend during the academic year that is disbursed in regular monthly payments. This stipend is intended to facilitate opportunities to engage in research with a faculty mentor by alleviating or eliminating the need to engage in additional paid employment. In exchange for the stipend, the Mellon Foundation expects fellows to conduct research for several hours per week during the academic year.

• Summer Stipend: The MMUF offers a summer stipend to allow fellows to participate, for a minimum of six weeks, in a meaningful research, learning, or work experience that may be underpaid or even unpaid, and that will enhance and complement studies in their major and advance their Mellon research project. These can include summer institutes such as those offered by the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) and the University of Chicago, as well as relevant internships, intensive language courses, or a carefully developed individual research program under the guidance of a mentor. All fellows will submit a summer funding proposal (including a detailed budget) to the coordinators and faculty mentor in early May. Ninety percent of the funds are awarded when the proposal has been approved and the remaining ten percent will be awarded once the final report on the summer project is received. MMUF summer grant funds must be used for the purposes described in the proposal; unused funds must be accounted for. Changes in students' summer plans must be communicated promptly to program coordinators.
• Travel Funds: While not guaranteed, travel funds may be available to support fellows' participation in academic conferences or to attend scholarly meetings that may expose students to ideas which expand their comprehension and insight of a research subject or career directions. Students who anticipate a need for travel expenses should speak with the coordinators about the availability of funds and reimbursement procedures.
• Loan Repayment: Fellows are eligible for up to $10,000 for the repayment of undergraduate loans, provided they enroll in full-time doctoral study within 39 months of graduating from college.
• Graduate School Grants: Once fellows are enrolled in a doctoral program in a Mellon-approved field, they may apply to present at conferences and participate in workshops and seminars with other MMUF alums, and they also become eligible to apply for grants for conference travel and research expenses. 

* Students who receive federal and/or College financial aid should be aware that MMUF stipends may affect their financial aid package. In most cases, the impact will be minimal, but fellows should be in frequent contact with Mellon coordinators and BMC financial aid officers to avoid any problems.

The Mellon Foundation requires each fellow to submit regular records to the Foundation. Both the Foundation and the Bryn Mawr coordinators must have up-to-date contact information for fellows — even after graduation. Because the Foundation is making a long-term investment in its fellows, and collecting information to assess the effectiveness of the program, it is essential that accurate and up-to-date records be maintained on each student. Periodically, you will receive reporting forms (online or hard copy). Please complete and return them promptly.

• Regular meetings with their mentor
• Weekly meetings with the other fellows and coordinators during the academic year
• Periodic one-on-one meetings with coordinators
• Regional/national gatherings of MMUF Fellows
• Workshops (topics have included the graduate school application process, writing and research skills, presentations, the structure of academia, etc.), assignments (e.g., reading articles or writing brief progress reports), and special programs and events (e.g., lectures, cultural events, dinners, etc.)

Fellows are also expected to participate in and be open to feedback and evaluation regarding overall performance.

If fellows miss more than one activity per semester, their stipend may be withheld.  Repeated absences or general lack of participation and engagement in MMUF activities may result in being asked to leave the program. 

Fellows must demonstrate a serious effort toward academic excellence and continued academic progress. Although there is no established minimum GPA for participation in the program, fellows must maintain a solid academic record.

Fellows must also give evidence of attending to the achievement of postgraduate career goals.  If at any time during their junior or senior years, a fellow realizes that a postgraduate career in one of the designated fields is not for them, they should consider leaving the program so that someone else whose goals truly match those of the program may benefit from it. 

Mid-April to May: 

• Mid-April: Fellows must confirm with coordinators via email (1) who their mentor is; and (2) that they have had a conversation with their mentor about the IRB.
• Early May: Fellows should (1) provide their mentor with a transcript and discuss coursework for the next semester (including the possibility of taking relevant classes in theory, methodology, and the literature; as well as independent studies to facilitate writing and research activities); and (2) discuss any summer plans—mentors should provide guidance on what programs or internships will best benefit the fellow and her research project. If the fellow plans on pursuing a summer institute, the mentor should work with us to discuss securing course credit for it.
• Mid-May: New Fellows Orientation (during which fellows will create and submit a budget for summer funding, as well as a picture and a brief biographical profile for the website)

• At the first meeting of the semester: Fellows will provide both oral (~5 minute) and written (~3-5 page) reports on their summer activities (research, internships, summer institutes, travel abroad, etc.) and how these activities contribute to her MMUF project.
• At the meeting before Fall Break: Fellows will submit a MMUF project proposal (3-5 pages), which includes (1) research questions and/or hypotheses, (2) a preliminary bibliography, at least partially annotated; (3) a brief section on methodology; (4) a tentative timeline for their research during the next two academic years, which also makes note of meetings with their mentors.
• After Fall Break: Fellows will meet with coordinators in order to discuss their MMUF project proposals.
• End of the semester: Fellows will provide their mentor with a transcript and discuss coursework for the next semester (including the possibility of taking relevant classes in theory, methodology, and the literature; as well as independent studies to facilitate writing and research activities).

• Beginning of the semester: Fellows will meet with coordinators to talk about their projects, their coursework, and prospective summer plans (applications for internships, research and travel plans, etc.).
• End of the semester
  • End-of-year report: Fellows will submit a written report (~3-5 pages) that includes (1) a discussion of the status of their projects, including any changes to the topic, research question(s), hypotheses, mentor, timeline, or methodology; (2) an annotated bibliography; and (3) their relationship and meeting frequency with their mentor.
  • End-of-year meeting with mentor: Fellows should (1) provide their mentor with a transcript and discuss coursework for the next semester (including the possibility of taking relevant classes in theory, methodology, and the literature; as well as independent studies to facilitate writing and research activities); and (2) discuss any summer plans—mentors should provide guidance on what programs or internships will best benefit the fellow and her research project. If the fellow plans on pursuing a summer institute, the mentor should work with us to discuss securing course credit for it.
  • End-of-year meeting with coordinators: Fellows will meet with coordinators before they depart for the summer in order to discuss (1) their status report; (2) their summer plans; (3) their planned coursework in the fall; (4) any plans to apply to graduate school; and (5) their mentor relationship.
  • Summer funding proposal: Fellows will submit their budgets for summer funding to coordinators as soon as their summer plans are confirmed, by mid-May at the very latest.
  • The advisory committee will meet to recommend continuation in the program for the second year.

• At the first meeting of the semester: Fellows will provide both oral (~5 minute) and written (~3-5 page) reports on their summer activities (research, internships, summer institutes, travel abroad, etc.) and how these activities contribute to her MMUF project.
• After Fall Break: Fellows will meet with coordinators to discuss (1) the status of their project; (2) their relationship with their mentor; (3) any help they need regarding the graduate school application process; and (4) any help with the senior thesis research and writing processes
• At the meeting before Thanksgiving: Fellows will be required to prepare a statement for graduate school, pursuant to a meeting in which they participate in a workshop on how to do so, regardless of whether or not they are applying to graduate school during that application cycle.
• End of the semester
  • End-of-semester report: Fellows will submit a written report (3-5 pages) detailing the status of their project, including (1) any changes to the topic, research question(s), hypotheses, mentor, timeline, or methodology; (2) an updated annotated bibliography; (3) their relationship and meeting frequency with their mentor; (4) any writing done for the senior thesis.
  • End-of-semester meeting with mentor: Fellows will provide their mentor with a transcript and discuss coursework for the next semester (including the possibility of taking relevant classes in theory, methodology, and the literature; as well as independent studies to facilitate writing and research activities).

• Beginning of the semester: Fellows will meet with coordinators to talk about (1) their projects and (2) their postgraduation plans.
• End of the semester
  • Final Project: Fellows will turn in either (a) a 10-15 page paper that is a distillation of their MMUF project/Senior Thesis, or (b) the senior thesis with a brief description of how the Mellon program contributed to development of the topic.
  • Final Presentations: Fellows will make a public presentation (10-20 minutes) of their MMUF project with the other Bryn Mawr fellows.
  • Exit interviews: Students will participate in a 45-minute exit interview with coordinators during Senior Week.

Specific dates for proposals and reports will be posted on the MMUF calendar page.