Paving the Way: For the Future of the Humanities
Students and faculty members in the humanities face mounting challenges—from skepticism about the value of humanities education to deteriorating pay and working conditions. The MLA is committed to responding to these challenges, but we need your help!
To that end, the MLA created Paving the Way: For the Future of the Humanities, a campaign dedicated to raising funds to help graduate students and adjunct faculty members, to promote workforce fairness, and to support national advocacy on behalf of the humanities. Please give what you can to make a difference. Your gift will fund the following programs.
Early Career Development
- Convention travel grants for students, adjunct faculty members, and independent scholars
- Professional development opportunities, such as MLA Speed Mentoring, for graduate students
- MLA internships for students interested in careers at nonprofit organizations
Find out about the MLA’s convention funding for graduate students, non-tenure-track faculty members, and unemployed members.
Workforce Fairness
- Departmental consultancies to promote best practices for hiring, supporting, and mentoring graduate students and adjunct faculty members
- Professional development grants to help part-time faculty members pay for research and conference travel, continuing education, and new technology; emergency COVID-19 grants to help those hardest hit by the pandemic
- Preconvention workshops for graduate students on humanities careers outside the academy
Read the MLA’s Recommendations and Evaluative questions for employment practices of non-tenure-track faculty members.
Advocacy
- Online advocacy campaigns and lobbying efforts in Washington, DC, to rally support for humanities education
- Course development grants for faculty members to develop courses that build enrollments and revitalize student interest in the humanities
- Trainings in op-ed writing to increase the range and quality of voices advocating for the humanities and language study
Learn about the innovative courses MLA members are developing with MLA grants.