We are proud to announce that Nicole Williams '10 has been awarded a competitive Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The objective of MMUF is to increase the number of minority students, and others with a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities, who will pursue PhDs in core fields in the arts and sciences. This summer Nicole will be attending in a conference in Brazil and will conduct research with a faculty mentor at the University of Chicago.
Nicole joins Sarah Derbew '09 as the second Mellon Mays Fellow from the Department of Classics.
The MMUF program began with eight participating members in 1988 and has grown to its current membership of 34 colleges and universities, plus the 39 UNCF member institutions. Fellows with demonstrated academic ability and aspiration to pursue a doctorate degree are selected according to their research interest in specified fields, with recommendations from faculty, staff and administrators. The fellowship provides students with many forms of support, including structured programming, faculty mentoring, term-time stipend for research activities, support for summer research, and repayment of undergraduate loans of up to $10,000 provided that the student pursues a doctoral study in specified fields. The Foundation also supports post-collegiate programs that complement and sustain the undergraduate initiative, and aid in the retention and persistence of graduate fellows. Graduate students at the early stages of the PhD are eligible to participant in the Predoctoral Grant Program and to attend the Annual Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Summer Conference. Advanced graduate students may apply for competitive Dissertation Grants, and Travel & Research Grants to aid in the completion of the PhD.
