Professional development opportunities

Since 1993, the Graduate Student Summer Conference has been the flagship event of the MMUF-SSRC Graduate Initiatives program. Mellon fellows in their first through third years of graduate school, along with graduating seniors who have been accepted into qualifying PhD programs, are eligible to attend; fellows may attend twice during their years of eligibility. 

The conference serves as a bridge between college and graduate school that strengthens fellows’ dedication to pursuing a doctorate and supports their graduate school retention. Sessions focus on tools and skills for navigating the early years of graduate school, such as negotiating institutional and departmental politics, optimizing summer research opportunities, and identifying and working with mentors. The program features panel presentations of fellows’ research, thematic roundtables, and presentations by senior scholars. The conference offers opportunities for younger fellows to interact with senior scholars, allowing fellows to build peer and professional relationships that will serve them for years to come.

The Proposal Writing and Dissertation Development Seminar (PWDDS) supports graduate students in their third through sixth years at two critical stages of graduate training: while preparing the dissertation proposal and writing the dissertation itself.  

The proposal writing and dissertation tracks take place in parallel during the week-long seminar, and participants are selected through a competitive application process. Significant time is allotted for individual writing, small group sessions, peer reviews, and one-on-one consultations with Mellon faculty mentors. Past participants report making significant progress on their dissertation projects during the PWDDS, with over 90% successfully defending their proposals or completing their dissertations in a timely manner. 

The Graduate Writing Seminar (GWS) was developed to advance the progress of fellows entering graduate studies in South African universities. Participants work on a range of graduate writing projects required for the South African course of study, engaging in peer review and consulting with Mellon PhD faculty. The structure and outcomes are parallel to those of the Proposal Writing and Dissertation Development Seminar held in the US. Participants leave the seminar with concrete next steps to help them progress in their writing projects and move forward in their pursuit of the graduate degree. 

Held annually on an MMUF institution campus and facilitated by a Mellon PhD, the Dissertation Writing Retreat (DWR) brings together 12 to 15 post-sixth-year graduate students for five days of intensive writing. Each participant creates a 12-month workplan that includes structured accountability to colleagues; participants establish a schedule by which to exchange new or revised work and provide one another with feedback on progress. 

The DWR reflects best practices learned from fellows who successfully completed their dissertation after an extended ABD period. The DWR supports the development of a structure for productivity with specific, self-defined marks of progress leading to dissertation completion. Eligibility will be based on the viability of completing the dissertation within a 12-month period, as determined by a committee of senior scholars and SSRC staff.

The Preparing for the Professoriate (PFP) Seminar is designed to give fellows the skills needed to transition into successful negotiators of their first faculty appointments. Rather than focusing on fellows' academic work, this seminar hones the skills that fellows need to navigate the professional challenges they face in the years immediately following completing of the PhD. 

While the major emphasis is on preparing fellows for the academic job market, the PFP also includes information about postdoctoral fellowships and other opportunities. Mellon PhD faculty members facilitate the Seminar, and fellows report being better prepared for the job search process because of the individualized support that the seminar provides. 

The MMUF-SSRC Lecture Series brings together undergraduates, coordinators, graduate students, and faculty in various regions for intellectual engagement and community-building. Each event gives a Mellon PhD the opportunity to share current research, and attending fellows benefit by building on their peer and professional networks. The Lecture Series strengthens and sustains the Mellon Mays network, builds speakers' CVs, and showcases the work of Mellon fellows. To date, lectures have taken place in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and southern California. 

The final component of the SSRC's sequential series of graduate initiatives is the PhD Retreat, which brings together Mellon PhDs for three days in January every other year. This event is designed exclusively for those fellows who have completed the doctorate, with preference given to those who are at the reappointment stage or close to tenure.  

The PhD Retreat is an opportunity to reflect on the transformative journey Mellon PhDs have made from college to graduate school to the completion of the doctorate and to discuss the issues and milestones they are now confronting as young faculty members. Participants are able to revive and solidify relationships with colleagues and mentors, expand professional networks, and re-commit to the mission of MMUF.