The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Awards $60,000 in Support of Learning Communities and Faculty Development

David Podell, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, said the College is honored that the Mellon Foundation is supporting MMC students as they make the transition into higher education. 

“Because of their generosity, our first-year student Learning Communities will get a major boost in the program’s first year,” he said. “Our goal is to make our students’ first semester as academically rewarding as possible. We want it to be equally enriching personally and culturally, as our students make the adjustment to College. With the support of the Mellon Foundation, we are better positioned to do so.” 

The grant from the Mellon Foundation will support the College’s FYE program and faculty development. Podell said the funding will allow the College to achieve one of the major goals of its Strategic Plan - to make New York City our classroom and our laboratory. 

“The unique cultural institutions of New York City will become a significant resource of our teaching and learning,” he said. “Museums, galleries, theatres, and historical sites will be woven into the curriculum of courses for first-year students. To accomplish this, our faculty will be working with experts from these institutions, and with one another, to make the links between the curriculum of their courses and the resources of the institutions.” 

Through the program each incoming first-year student will belong to a learning community comprised of 16 first-year students, three instructors, and an upperclassman “peer leader.” Together, they will form an intellectual and social community that will provide an educational home-base and an initial peer group. 

Podell said faculty development is also an essential part of MMC’s success in providing a quality liberal arts education to students. 

“Our professors are committed to their teaching, more so than in any college I know,” Podell said. “They strive to achieve excellence in their profession, and faculty development activities, such as those the Mellon Foundation has graciously funded, propel them forward, allowing them to be even more effective and inspiring.” 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provides grants in six core program areas: Higher Education and Scholarship, Scholarly Communications, Research in Information Technology, Museums and Art Conservation, Performing Arts, and Conservation and the Environment. The Foundation’s grant making philosophy is to build, strengthen and sustain institutions and their core capacities, rather than be a source for narrowly defined projects. As such, the Foundation develops thoughtful, long-term collaborations with grant recipients and invests sufficient funds for an extended period to accomplish the purpose at hand and achieve meaningful results. 

Published: August 02, 2013