Brooklyn College Hosts Mellon Fellows at Twentieth Anniversary Conference
5/19/2009
In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, Brooklyn College hosted many of its alumni, as well as current and future students, at a reunion conference in the Student Center.
The fellowship program, initiated by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, accepts undergraduate students of color, typically in their sophomore year, who have demonstrated academic ability and an interest in pursuing a doctorate in a core field in the liberal arts or sciences. The students receive funding for the junior and senior years, faculty mentoring, stipends for research activities, and opportunities to participate in a variety of networking activities.
"This very happy gathering just reminds me of the strength of this institution," President Christoph M. Kimmich told the attendees during the conference luncheon. "Mellon Mays has prepared these scholars for significant roles in society. It has prepared them to make a difference. And for that, I’m really proud."
The daylong conference featured lots of networking among current scholars and graduates of the program, with discussions that ranged from "how to get a Ph.D. and still have a life," to the importance of criticism and how to accept it gracefully to how to get over feelings of academic inferiority.
"Don’t just think about getting a job, change the world through your work," advised keynote speaker Ebony E.A. Coletu, a former fellow who received her Ph.D. last year from Stanford University. "Build relationships based on shared interests and always take your research seriously, no matter where you are with your job."
Nickeitta Leung, a sophomore and political science major, came because she is interested in applying for the fellowship. She is not sure whether to pursue a Ph.D. in women’s studies or go to law school. She said she was encouraged by what she saw at the conference. "I know I need a lot of help with my writing and already today I’ve gotten a lot of advice that will help me in my undergraduate studies," she said. "This is a very welcoming community."
The aim of the program is to increase the pool of people of color who attain a doctorate in the hope that, over time, this will reduce the serious underrepresentation of faculty members from certain minority groups at colleges and universities across the country. Nearly 3,000 undergraduate students have participated in the program since it began. Some 60 percent of fellows go on to graduate school and 35 percent go directly to Ph.D. programs. More than 250 fellows have earned their Ph.D. and are now teaching around the country. One of them –– Assistant Professor of English Rosamond S. King –– teaches at the College.
Brooklyn College, one of the founding colleges in the program, has had ninety-five students enrolled in the fellowship since 1989. Of the College’s Mellon alumni, four have attained a Ph.D. and nine have ABD status. One is now an associate professor at Purdue University and another is an assistant professor at Texas Christian University. Some twenty-one are currently in graduate school and nearly thirty have completed a master’s degree.
Lydia English, program officer and director of the Mellon foundation, who is retiring in June, said that she was proud to see how the College’s Mellon program has grown. "Brooklyn College participated in one of the first cohorts of Mellon fellows, and you took off like a bandit," she said. "Our legacy will be an international community of scholars of color."
