Posted on October 21, 2024 by Katelyn Juarez
MAS 30th anniversary celebration event
UTSA’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) program has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation’s Multivocal Humanities Initiative. The grant will support the program’s efforts to elevate diverse stories and perspectives through community engagement initiatives.
As the nation’s largest funder of the arts, culture, and humanities, Mellon has long supported the exploration of multivocality within the academic space. Through the Affirming Multivocal Humanities initiative, the foundation further addresses the continuing need for nuanced scholarship on the breadth of the human experience through race, ethnic, gender, and sexuality studies.
“We are honored to receive this grant from the Mellon Foundation,” said Lilliana Saldaña, principal investigator and associate professor in the UTSA Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. “This funding will allow us to further develop our program and create more visibility around the importance of Mexican American Studies as an academic field of study that promotes social change.”
One of the key projects funded by the grant is the MAS Youth Conference, which will take place November 7. This event will bring together high school and middle school students from across San Antonio that are enrolled in the state-approved MAS electives course. The conference will provide students the opportunity to learn more about resources, connect with UTSA MAS alumni, and celebrate their MAS education.
The grant will also support the creation of a MAS digital testimonial series. Through the initiative, current students and alumni of the MAS program will share the impact of their studies and how they are bridging their academic knowledge with community advocacy and professional aspirations. These testimonials will be featured on a digital platform to inspire and inform future generations of MAS scholars and advocates.
Additionally, the Mellon Foundation grant will fund a MAS Community Scholars and Plática Series. The series will feature public presentations by MAS faculty in community spaces, allowing the public the engage directly with the program’s research and curriculum. The goal is to strengthen the connections between the UTSA and the community.
Finally, the grant will provide funding for student and faculty research projects related to MAS, further supporting the program’s mission of elevating diverse stories and perspectives.
“This grant comes at a pivotal time for our program, as we celebrate 30 years of MAS at UTSA,” said Saldaña. “We are excited to use these resources to strengthen our ties with the local community and inspire the next generation of MAS scholars.”
For more information about UTSA’s MAS program and its vision, please visit their department page.
— Katelyn Juarez
