MLA Strategic Partnership Network

College-level study of the humanities is under threat—both from legislative interventions in curriculum and shared governance and from public perception of the humanities’ economic value. The new MLA Strategic Partnership Network (SPN) brings together institutions with a proven commitment to the humanities to develop critical resources for responding and building a sustainable foundation for the future. If you have a stake in promoting the value of the humanities, raising the profile of the humanities on your campus and in your community, increasing enrollments in our fields, and improving the working conditions of faculty members, we invite you to partner with us. SPN will enable you to share experiences from your campus, collaborate on strategies with fellow humanities leaders, and help shape national policy.

Member institutions will get a robust package of benefits for students and faculty members.

A Leadership Network

We connect you to a national network of deans and other academic leaders to discuss the critical issues facing higher education, share strategies and data, and lead the way in developing new initiatives that support the work of your faculty members.

Advocacy Tools for Departments

We give your departments and programs the tools to reimagine their majors by connecting with student needs and to make the case for the relevance of the study of languages, literatures, writing, and culture.

Professional Development Resources

We provide professional development for faculty members and graduate students in your departments, including access to leadership training, webinars, journal articles, and discounts on MLA membership for graduate students and part-time faculty members.

Benefits

All language, literature, and culture departments and programs at your institution will receive

full membership in our department- and program-based professional development organization, MLA Academic Program Services (MAPS), for all language, literature, and culture departments and programs
MLA membership for all graduate students and part-time faculty members
year-round professional development resources for faculty members, including professional development webinars, career planning resources, and mentoring structures
a 20% discount on individual MLA memberships for faculty and staff members, including multiyear memberships and life memberships
two registrations for the summer seminar and two registrations for the Leadership Institute run by the Association of Departments of English (ADE) and the Association of Language Departments (ALD)
a 20% discount on registration for up to six additional participants in the summer seminars and Leadership Institute
a 50% discount on convention registration for graduate students and part-time faculty members when bought in bulk
free convention registration for undergraduate students
a 30% discount on MLA booth costs in the Exhibit Hall at the annual convention for departments or programs that wish to promote innovative programs
quarterly newsletter with updates on innovative programs in enrollment, retention, and career-readiness for students as well as insights into best practices in faculty hiring and career development
faculty member eligibility to compete for $3,000 Humanities Innovation Grants
two free job postings per year in the MLA Job List
access for your chairs to a network of peers through our ADE and ALD discussion lists for department chairs and program leaders
department and program access to consultancy and evaluation services
online access to the online ADE Bulletin and ADFL Bulletin archives, from 1965 to the present, for all department faculty members and students
immediate access to MLA statements, reports, and surveys
access to the searchable MAPS member database
access to a directory of PhD-granting departments
a 35% discount on higher education titles published by Johns Hopkins University Press
department and program access to recordings of recent MLA professional development webinars

You’ll also be able to take advantage of

online convenings of college presidents and chief academic officers from the humanities to probe key issues in the humanities and higher education, from employment practices to the state of federal support for humanities research to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on campus and challenges to academic freedom
a private Humanities Commons website for humanities administrators from across the country
the opportunity to shape and support MLA programs for contingent faculty members, graduate students, and access-oriented institutions
in-person convenings of representatives of the Strategic Partnership Network institutions with MLA senior staff members. The executive director and MLA senior staff members will join SPN representatives for a discussion of issues in higher education for the humanities, including doctoral education and the value of humanities expertise, the rise of AI, and campus partnerships with community groups or industries.
access to resources from national humanities organizations and campuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice efforts; environmental and climate humanities; public and community-engaged humanities research and pedagogy; digital humanities; and more
unmatched access to national leaders in the humanities, including disciplinary leaders and campus leaders at Strategic Partnership Network institutions, and to MLA staff members

All SPN partners will be acknowledged on the MLA website and in the convention program.

To find out more or to become a partner, please contact Anna Chang, director of outreach, at achang@mla.org.