A $5 million grant has been awarded to the University of Illinois Chicago from The Andrew W. Mellow Foundation to support a nationwide program called Crossing Latinidades: Emerging Scholars and New Comparative Directions.
The program supports Latinx humanities studies and is part of a new consortium, which includes all 16 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) that are also R1 research institutions, the highest level a doctoral university can reach. A council of chancellors and university presidents will guide the consortium to improve the number of Latinx students who are pursuing terminal degrees to pursue academic careers.
The funding will support the first cohort of Crossing Latinidades initiative, supporting their research and training while also investigating the needs of the growing population of Latinx students in the nation.
Each year, the initiative will accept two pre-proposal graduate students from each university (96 in total) into their summer institute on Latinx study methodology. The students will each be mentored to enhance their research skills, creativity, and intellectual curiosity.
The grant will also fund research groups to explore the changing landscape of Latinx humanities studies collaboratively, comparatively, and cross-regionally.