黄瓜视频

For the first time, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 鈥� the nation鈥檚 largest supporter of the arts and humanities 鈥� invited the 黄瓜视频 to submit a proposal last spring for one of its humanities internship grants. The offer presented an opportunity to transform the educational experience and career prospects for thousands of humanities students. 
 
鈥淭he invitation itself was remarkable,鈥� says Elizabeth Spiller, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淟ooking back at our records over the past 20 years, this is the first time USF has been invited to submit a proposal to the Mellon Foundation.鈥� 
 
Months later, the foundation awarded the college a five-year, $4.8 million grant that will support up to 900 students each year in otherwise unpaid internships. The beneficiaries will be undergraduate students majoring in humanities, including English, history, philosophy, humanities and cultural studies, world languages, communication, religion; and women鈥檚, gender, and sexuality studies. 
 
The grant includes a $1 million matching endowment to ensure the program endures after the grant period ends. 

Currently, about a third of the college鈥檚 undergraduates participate in internships annually.  Almost all are unpaid, so students working their way through school often can鈥檛 afford to take advantage of these learning and professional development opportunities.  
 
The Mellon Foundation grant will increase the number of internships available and provide them more equitably. Recruitment will begin in the spring during an internship fair, with most internships beginning in fall 2025. 
 
鈥淲e are very excited about this partnership and the opportunity to make a lasting and transformational difference for our students 鈥� one we hope will be a model for other universities,鈥� says Spiller. 
 
Internships are a vital component to higher education. They help students learn practical skills related to their chosen fields, gain valuable work experience for their resum茅s and expand their professional networks. 
 
But students who participate in unpaid internships receive fewer job offers and earn lower starting salaries than those who were paid interns, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. 
 
The Mellon Foundation grant will enable more students to reap the enhanced benefits of paid internships while removing the financial barriers that prevent many from serving as unpaid interns.  
 
It will also continue to burnish USF鈥檚 reputation for helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds improve their socioeconomic status through education. USF ranks No. 22 nationally for social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report.  
 
鈥淗umanities students are highly valued by employers because of the skills in critical reasoning and creativity that humanities degrees foster,鈥� says Lauren Arrington, chair of the Department of English and principal investigator of the grant. 鈥淲e are excited about the new futures the Mellon grant create for our graduates.鈥�  
 
The interns鈥� employers will also benefit. Most current internship partners are nonprofit organizations like museums, arts organizations, and human rights and environmental advocacy groups, which operate on lean budgets.  
 
Through the grant, each intern will receive guaranteed pay of $20 an hour and a 50-hour placement. 
 
鈥淭hese internships will allow the university to collaborate with potentially hundreds of employers, including nonprofits and small businesses who might not otherwise be in a position to hire interns,鈥� says USF Provost Prasant Mohapatra. 鈥淭his will be a great opportunity to enhance and extend the university鈥檚 ongoing commitment to be the research university for the Tampa Bay area and beyond.鈥�  

The Mellon Foundation grant aligns well with the university鈥檚 promise to deliver education that prepares students for meaningful careers. USF鈥檚 Quality Enhancement Plan, launched in the fall, integrates career readiness into the classroom 鈥� strengthening the pipeline of candidates prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation. 
 
鈥淗osting talented USF students allows organizations to gain fresh perspectives and benefit from their strong educational foundation,鈥� says Addye Buckley-Burnell, associate vice president and executive director of the Center for Career and Professional Development and co-principal investigator of the grant. 鈥淭hese students bring diverse skill sets and career-ready competencies, particularly in the humanities, to real-world workplace challenges.鈥� 
 
Data show humanities majors regularly graduate into jobs that they find both emotionally and financially rewarding, said Phillip Brian Harper, Mellon Foundation program director for higher learning, in a press release announcing a previous round of humanities internships grants. 
 
鈥淭he internships funded through these grants will make it clear that humanities study leads not just to jobs, but to exciting career paths in a wide range of sectors.鈥� 
 
For interested students, recruitment will begin in the spring during an internship fair, with most internships beginning in fall 2025. Students should contact their department's internship director for more information.