Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF)

With the support of the Mellon Foundation, Whittier College offers the Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.

Established in the 1988/1989 academic year, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is committed to broadening the range of scholarly perspectives in the US academy, with a focus on the humanities and the humanistic social sciences. Its name honors Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the noted African American educator, statesman, minister, former president of Morehouse College, and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Founded with an initial cohort of eight member institutions, the program has grown to include 47 programs, including three consortia. 

To date, the program has produced more than 1,200 PhDs, more than 800 of whom are currently college professors. Numerous others have taken their valuable humanities training into venues ranging from museums and nonprofit organizations to publishing houses and government positions. At any given time, about 800 MMUF fellows are enrolled in PhD programs, while the fellowship supports approximately 500 undergraduate students each year. 

Through programs that emphasize mentoring, research support, and student cohort building, Mellon partners with member colleges and universities to identify and support students of great promise and to help them become scholars and professionals of the highest distinction. 

Up to five Whittier College students will be selected as Mellon Mays Fellows annually and will explore their interest in college teaching in disciplines of special interest to the Foundation. Under the two-year fellowship, selected students will receive financial support to engage in independent research through the academic and summer periods, attend and present their research at local and national conferences, one-on-one support from faculty mentors at Whittier, and engage with other MMUF Fellows at Mellon-sponsored events.

  • US Citizen, permanent resident, DACA
  • Must have sophomore or first-semester junior standing
  • GPA of 3.0 or better
  • Fulfill the fundamental objective of MMUF: applicants must demonstrate the potential to bring their life experiences and academic aspirations, contributing to MMUF’s goals of advancing a broad range of scholarly perspectives
  • Fellows will pursue graduate education, especially a Ph.D. degree, in one of the core Mellon-designated fields: 
    • Anthropology and archaeology
    • Area/cultural/ethnic/gender studies
    • Art History
    • Classics
    • English
    • Film, cinema, and media studies (theoretical focus)
    • Foreign languages and literatures
    • Geography and population studies
    • History
    • Interdisciplinary studies: Interdisciplinary areas of study may be eligible if they have one or more eligible fields at their core, but they must be approved by the MMUF staff at the Mellon Foundation on a case-by-case basis.
    • Linguistics
    • Literature
    • Musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory
    • Performance studies (theoretical focus)
    • Philosophy and political theory
    • Religion and theology
    • Sociology
    • Theater (theoretical focus)
  • MMUF is equally open to all students who meet the program’s eligibility requirements and does not use preferences or criteria based on any trait protected under applicable law.

Selection Criteria

  1. Strong academic promise and standing
  2. Interest in pursuing graduate education, especially a Ph.D. and an academic career in a Mellon-designated core field of study.
  3. Potential for serving as a mentor and teacher for a wide variety of students
  4. Activities and leadership that reflect an interest in social justice issues and the promotion of multivocality
  5. Availability for, and commitment to, full and enthusiastic participation in all aspects of the MMUF program, including attendance at conferences and regular meetings

Program Benefits

  • $4,500 for two summers (sophomore/junior) to conduct research with a faculty mentor
  • $4,000 for two academic years (junior/senior) to continue ongoing research with a faculty mentor, cover travel expenses, conference attendances, etc.
  • $1,300 for graduate school preparation
  • $800 for research & miscellaneous expenses
  • Up to $10,000.00 for repayment of undergraduate loans, once the student has matriculated into a Ph.D. program.
  • Continued moral support throughout undergraduate and graduate-level studies.
  • Students will continue their studies along with their other MMUF fellows, creating a local, regional, and national cohort of fellows engaged in the same process and moving towards the same goal.

Applying to the Program

Spring Semester Cycle: The application is due on March 6, 2026. Faculty mentor letters of recommendation are due March 9, 2026.
Fall Semester Cycle: October 27, 2025

Students may be nominated by Whittier College instructors or they may nominate themselves. Each nominated student will receive an email and letter encouraging them to apply. 

Application Documents

MMUF Coordinators

Michelle Chihara

Associate Professor of English
Mellon Mays Program Coordinator
Hoover 213
562.907.4334
mchihara@whittier.edu

Julie Collins-Dogrul

Professor of Sociology
Public Health Program Coordinator
Platner 122
562.907.4307
jcollins@whittier.edu

Elizabeth Sanchez '15

MMUF Administrative Coordinator
Science & Learning Center 314
562.907.5145
esanche1@whittier.edu

About Dr. Benjamin Mays

Benjamin Elijah Mays, was born in 1895 in South Carolina, and graduated from Bates College in Maine in 1920. He went to the University of Chicago for his master's degree and doctorate, and while he was working on those degrees, he was ordained into the Baptist ministry. He taught at Morehouse College and at South Carolina State College. From 1934 to 1940, he served as dean of the Howard University School of Religion and then moved on to the presidency of Morehouse College, a position he distinguished for the next quarter of a century. He also served his community well, becoming the first black president of the Atlanta school board.

He spoke early and often against segregation and for education. He received nearly thirty honorary doctorates and other honors and awards including election to the Schomburg Honor Roll of Race Relations, one of a dozen major leaders so honored. He had been a model for one of his Morehouse students, Martin Luther King, Jr., and he served the young minister as an unofficial senior advisor. He gave the eulogy at King's funeral. Among his books were the first sociological study of African-American religion, The Negro's Church, published in 1933; and The Negro's God, of 1938; Disturbed About Man, of 1969; and his autobiography Born to Rebel, of 1971. These books reveal a combination of sharp intellect with religious commitment and prophetic conviction.

The American National Biography website has a comprehensive biography on Dr. Mays.