The Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network (FAN) has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to launch the Ivy+ Mellon Leadership Fellows program, which aims to increase the representation of humanities faculty members occupying the highest administrative offices in the academy. FAN members will appoint a cohort of tenured faculty in the humanities as Fellows who will undergo a comprehensive program of skill development in academic leadership and governance over a period of at least two years.
This funding, to be supplemented by FAN’s member institutions, will extend the consortium’s mission to advance diversity and inclusion in the American professoriate and will strengthen collaborations that reimagine university cultures and the academic workforce.
Kiernan Mathews, Ed.D., Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network
“We are honored to receive this catalytic grant from the Mellon Foundation,” said Kiernan Mathews, Executive Director of FAN. “Rising to the Foundation’s challenge by allocating additional funds, our universities will leverage this investment to build new networks of equity-minded leaders committed to reshaping the academic landscape.”
In the first year, the Mellon Fellows will participate in the FAN consortium’s Institute for Inquiry, Equity & Leadership in the Academic Department. This institute brings together department chairs and other faculty leaders to interrogate institutional norms that hinder diversity and inclusion in the American professoriate. The Mellon Fellows will work alongside alumni and current participants of the Institute, providing insight and energy for their equity-minded capstone projects.
Aly Kassam-Remtulla, Ph.D., Princeton University
In the second year, the Mellon Fellows’ universities will place them in tailored administrative appointments that will further cultivate their skills in academic leadership and governance and insights into policy reforms at the department and system levels. Fellows will have the option to extend their career development with FAN into a third year. Throughout the program, the Mellon Fellows will receive mentoring from on-campus and remote mentors, network with colleagues in their cohort, and engage in continuous learning and growth opportunities.
“Last year, we launched the Institute to address the pressing need to improve the climate for underrepresented faculty in university departments,” said Aly Kassam-Remtulla, FAN Steering Committee Co-chair and Vice Provost at Princeton University. “With the Mellon Foundation’s support, FAN can now expand the Institute’s reach to include a broader representation of disciplines, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to advance a stronger and more equitable academy.”
Shontay Delalue, Ph.D., Dartmouth College
The goals of the Ivy+ Mellon Leadership Fellows program include developing equity-minded leadership skills, cultivating professional connections across peer universities, generating ideas for diversity and inclusion initiatives, and providing tools and resources for Fellows’ ongoing leadership roles. The program will also produce additional learning modules, establish a council of mentors, and implement a robust assessment plan.
“FAN and its member institutions are deeply grateful to the Mellon Foundation.” said Shontay Delalue, FAN Steering Committee Co-Chair and Senior Vice President and Senior Diversity Officer at Dartmouth College. “These resources deepen our mission critical goals by allowing us to further our work in diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Waldo E. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., University of Chicago
“The University of Chicago, which hosts the consortium, welcomes this important but rare opportunity to advance preparation for central administration leadership among humanities faculty scholars and will work with our network institutions to deepen our collective commitment,” said Waldo Johnson, FAN Steering Committee member and Professor and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Faculty Development at the University of Chicago.
Over the three-year grant period, FAN anticipates the knowledge and experience gained by Fellows and other member representatives will enhance future iterations of the Institute and contribute to new collaborative efforts across the consortium.
In fall 2023, FAN will announce the cohort of nine Fellows representing Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale University, and the Universities of Chicago and Pennsylvania.
About FAN
The Faculty Advancement Network (FAN) is a consortium of thirteen national research universities collaborating to advance diversity and inclusion in the American professoriate. FAN is organized by leaders in faculty affairs, faculty development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion who are seeking collaborations of consequence that reimagine the norms, structures, policies, and programs that shape university cultures and the academic workforce.
About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through its grants, they seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.