Fresno State is one of five public colleges and universities receiving funding from the Mellon Foundation to establish paid internship programs for humanities majors.

With the funding, Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities will design, implement and scale an internship program for its humanities majors that allows them to put theories learned during coursework into practice. By creating new internship courses, Fresno State will embed career preparation into the curriculum and transform student perspectives around the study of the humanities.

Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, and Gayle Sherwood (M.A., CRA), grants and research administrator in the Office of Research Sponsored Programs, collaborated to secure the grant.

“As a humanist who deeply appreciates the inherent gifts of the humanities — creativity, critical thinking, empathy and an awareness of how the past informs the present and creates a potential for the future — I am profoundly grateful to the Mellon Foundation for its generous support, which provides an extraordinary opportunity for our talented students,” said Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president of Fresno State.

The Mellon Foundation, which was established in 1969, is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. It is awarding $25 million total toward five institutions: Fresno State, City College of New York, Old Dominion University, University of Missouri at Kansas City and University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Fresno State and the four other institutions were selected to receive the funding because of their demonstrated commitment to humanities education. The funding is part of an ongoing commitment from the foundation to expand access to humanities-based learning.

Read the press release on FresnoStateNews.com.