History
Established in 1988, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is committed to expanding academic faculties and leadership in higher education and to promoting the value 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.
The program began with a cohort of eight member institutions and has since expanded to include forty-seven member schools and three consortia.
Thus far the program has produced more than 1,100 PhDs, almost 800 of whom are currently college professors and 300 of whom have taken their humanities training into venues ranging from museums and nonprofit organizations to publishing houses and government positions. At any given time, about 800 MMUF fellows are enrolled in PhD programs, while the fellowship supports approximately 500 undergraduate students each year.
Mellon partners with member colleges and universities through a pipeline process that highlights mentoring, research support, programming, and building student cohorts to identify and support students of great promise, guiding them to become scholars and professionals of the highest distinction.
Please visit the Mellon Foundation website to learn more about the History of MMUF