Mellon Foundation Announces Strategic Vision
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Board of Trustees has approved a strategic plan intended to guide the foundation’s philanthropic work in the coming years. The foundation is merging the separate programs focused on liberal arts colleges and research universities into a single program for Higher Education and Scholarship in the Humanities. Also, the programs for the performing arts and for art history, conservation and museums will be consolidated into a single program for Arts and Cultural Heritage.
The revised names of the three other programs underscore their refocused core agendas: “Scholarly Communications and Information Technology” will become simply Scholarly Communications. The Diversity program will encompass the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other diversity initiatives. “Special International Emphasis: South Africa” will become International Higher Education and Strategic Projects and develop a broadened agenda under the leadership of its program director, Saleem Badat, the former vice-chancellor of Rhodes University in South Africa.