Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program

About MMUF

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF) was established in 1988 as a response to the shortage of faculty of color in higher education. The program accepts students from under-represented populations and others who have a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities. Thus far, more than 400 fellows have completed their PhD and hold professorships as well as tenure-track positions across the country.

The program has been a part of Queens College since 1989, and since then more than 25 fellows have earned PhDs and are teaching across the country. Currently, several fellows are in graduate school completing dissertations and each year new fellows join the Mellon community! Through challenging seminars, research projects, close mentorship, academic professionalization, and travel opportunities, the MMUF program prepares its participants for the rigor of graduate school and shapes them into competitive applicants able to join top-quality PhD programs with an eye to become professors.

The Andrew Mellon Foundation named the MMUF program after Dr. Benjamin Mays (1894-1984) in honor of his dedication to the struggle for educational, economic, and social equality for all people. Dr. Mays was President of Morehouse College, where he became a mentor to civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Queens College is proud to continue honoring this legacy by identifying and nurturing academic talent to make academia a more equitable, inclusive, and welcoming space.

Click here to view a brief biography of Dr. Mays.