Mellon Public Scholars

View the Mellon Public Scholars 2022 Showcase!

The Mellon Public Scholars program introduces graduate students to the intellectual and practical aspects of identifying, addressing, and collaborating with members of a public through their scholarship. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the UC Davis Humanities Institute a $600,000 renewal in 2018 continue the program through 2021. Visit the Mellon Public Scholars website to learn more about the scholars and their projects. 

Contact Mellon Public Scholars Program Manager Stephanie Maroney if you have any questions.

Twelve successful graduate student applicants participate in a quarter-long, two-credit seminar in spring. Each student works with a faculty partner to develop a community-based research project and receive a $7,500 stipend (with the possibility of supplemental project funds) to support a community project over the summer. Applicants do not need to have a partner at the time of application. The Public Scholars Program encourages students to consider partners outside of their department as a way to broaden their interdisciplinary network.

Because this program is intended to acknowledge and draw on the community-engaged scholarship of our faculty, faculty mentorship is an integral part of the summer projects. The role of the faculty partner includes: offering guidance as the student develops the community project, helping the student to develop individual goals for their project so that the experience can be integrated into their graduate training, and debriefing on outcomes of the project upon completion. Each faculty partner will receive a $2,000 award (i.e., as summer salary).

The Public Scholars Program invites applications that address the university’s commitment to diversity. This may include: public service towards increasing equitable access in fields where women and minorities are underrepresented; research focusing on underserved populations or understanding inequalities related to race, gender, disability or LGBTQI issues; and applicants who offer perspectives of groups historically underrepresented in higher education.