18 February 2025 Hobart and William Smith Awarded $500K Mellon Foundation Grant to Launch New “Matters of Memory” Program

Mellon Grant will support the launch of an interdisciplinary certificate and fellowship program led by Chair of the Department of History and Director of Law and Society, Professor Matthew Crow.

Hobart and William Smith has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish an innovative interdisciplinary “Matters of Memory: Confronting Conflicting Narratives in a Small American City” program for students.  This certificate and fellowship program will enable students to take part in seminar-style coursework with members of the faculty and offer the opportunity to pursue fellowship research for advanced honors.  

The program will invite students to critically examine how complex narratives and different memories shape our collective civic life and influence culture, conflict and identity – including in our own communities. To that end, the program will provide opportunities for hands-on research and capstone projects, fostering collaboration and understanding among students, faculty and members of the Geneva community. 

Professor of History Matthew Crow

“The Matters of Memory project is a tremendous opportunity to put the humanities to work in the world in a very direct way,” says Professor Matthew Crow, Chair of the Department of History and Director of Law and Society, who will direct this new program. “My hope for the project is not only that it benefits students and the broader community in Geneva by getting us all talking about history and memory, but maybe just as importantly, that it allows the faculty to see themselves as critical stewards of history and memory, from our campus context and curriculum to the broader settings of the region, the country and the globe.”

Key Features of the New “Matters of Memory: Confronting Conflicting Narratives in a Small American City” program Include:

  • Interdisciplinary Seminar Coursework: The development of four new team-taught courses with members of the faculty for students to take during their first two years on campus exploring themes such as historical narratives, ethics and politics, and their implications for civic identity and contemporary issues in local contexts.
  • Advanced Honors Research: Students will have the opportunity to engage in advanced honors study and research during their second two years of the program, focused on the development and implementation of a community-focused project, and including visits to cultural sites.
  • Community Collaboration: Partnership with local organizations and Geneva community members will be a key aspect of both the coursework and advanced honors research fellowship to provide students with real-world perspectives and insights.
  • Capstone Projects: By focusing on a capstone project, students will have the chance to develop and present original research addressing topics related to memory and narrative in the Geneva community and gain perspective on challenges and opportunities for strengthening civic culture.

Hobart and William Smith has received numerous competitive grants from the Mellon Foundation in the past to support curricular projects and enhance the student-experience, including most recently in 2022 when the Foundation provided funding for a three-year leadership program for humanities faculty members.  

"This generous grant from the Mellon Foundation allows us to expand our commitment to interdisciplinary academic inquiry for students and enrich our curriculum with new coursework focused on how history, memory and civic health are closely connected,” says Sarah Kirk, Provost and Dean of the Faculty. "The program will also deepen collaboration with our Geneva partners, allowing students to think critically about their own role in a community, which aligns with our mission of preparing students to lead lives of consequence. I’m grateful to the members of the faculty who will take part in this program and especially Professor Crow for leading this exciting new offering for students.”

The award of this latest grant from the Mellon Foundation comes from its Higher Learning program which allocates funding to “support faculty and students whose work exemplifies a drive toward greater equity in their fields and institutions.” The $500,000 grant award highlights the promise of the “Matters of Memory” program both for Hobart and William Smith and the broader community, and also as a potential model for other higher education institutions.  

“Geneva really is the perfect place for this project, because it is a historic city that for a small town in this region is uniquely diverse on a whole number of fronts. Across departments and disciplines at HWS and around the country, we are thinking through questions of memory and narrative as foundational for how we might want to think about identity and belonging. These questions of whose memories count, whose stories are heard, and whether a common story is still possible are at the forefront of public discussion,” says Professor Matthew Crow.

The "Matters of Memory" program will launch in Fall 2025 and will be open to all students.

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About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through grants, the Foundation seeks to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.