The Howard University Office of Faculty Development has been awarded a four-year, $755,000 grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support programs that will stimulate leadership development and enhance scholarly portfolios in the arts, humanities and some disciplines in social sciences.

“We are very pleased to receive this grant from the Mellon Foundation in support of our faculty development efforts in the arts and humanities and some disciplines in social sciences,” said Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph. “It is our belief that by developing faculty capacity and pedagogy in the arts and humanities, our students will have a richer and more holistic understanding of how their skills and education prepare them to be global citizens and leaders.”

Associate Provost Okianer Christian Dark leads the Office of Faculty Development and will oversee implementation of this project. The faculty development program was formally established in August 2015 to improve the quality of faculty life related to teaching and research, career development and professional satisfaction. The grant will make it possible for the University to undertake two initiatives.

“The first initiative is to increase scholarly productivity, which in addition to articles and books, also includes the development of creative works like that produced by faculty in the arts, theater and music,” said Associate Provost Dark. “The Faculty Writing Initiatives will likely include monthly faculty workshops, a summer writing academy, and accountability groups. A second initiative will focus on leadership programming for departmental chairs who play integral roles in college, school and university instructional programs. Associate Provost Dark said that departmental chairs also “are essential to the development of and mentoring of junior faculty.”  

Howard University has a longstanding, collaborative relationship with the Mellon Foundation. By broadening the number and diversity of faculty who publish their scholarship and enhance their research agendas, students will be able to engage in critical thinking and writing across the disciplines.

About the Mellon Foundation:

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, established in 1969, endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and the well-being of diverse and democratic societies. To this end, it supports representative institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. For more information, please visit: https://mellon.org/