Mellon Foundation announced a new scholarship program in coordination with City College of New York’s Dominican Studies Institute. US$750,000 is available for intellectuals ranging from scholars, artists, writers and journalists to continue their work in safety at The City College. CUNY has the largest registration of Dominicans university students in the United States.
“Free expression is under assault around the world, and the vital work of scholars to develop and share knowledge and understanding without obstruction has never been more important,” said Andrew Rich, the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at CCNY. “This generous grant from the Mellon Foundation will ensure that the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute can be a safe refuge for researchers internationally. The program will serve as an important beacon for intellectual freedom and creativity in Dominican studies.”
Ramona Hernandez, director of the CCNY-based CUNY DSI, says: “This innovative program provides a space to Dominican scholars who produce dissonant works that challenge the status quo and that seek to change Dominican society for the better — a society that does not punish, in any way, people who raise their voice against the establishment and the prevailing social order.”
“This new program will support intellectuals whose work challenges the ruling elite and the government, and who, for this reason, are threatened with chastisements such as loss of employment, loss of credibility, defamation of character, and barriers to move up in the socioeconomic ladder,” she said. “Applications from scholars working on themes considered especially off-limits in Dominican society, such as political corruption, abortion, gender and LGTQ+ identity and expression, Afro-Dominican culture, and Haitian immigration – will receive special consideration.”
The fellowship program will furnish a stipend, travel expenses, and relocation expenses for nine scholars over a three-year period (Sept. 2023 – Aug. 2026). Inviting several fellows per year will ensure that the program benefits from the expertise of a broad range of disciplines, including fellows working in the humanities (arts, history, literature, music, theater, journalism) and humanistic social sciences (sex, gender, politics, and cultural studies).
Read more:
CUNY
31 January 2023