Prof. Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello Receives $480,000 Mellon Grant for "The Humanities Brigade"

Prof. Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello (Chair, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies), was awarded a $480,000 Mellon Foundation grant to launch and direct a three year project called "The Humanities Brigade" at Salem State beginning in fall 2025. The project combines humanities course-based learning communities for first-year students (no matter their major) with training in civic and public humanities and guarantees paid civic humanities internships for all students in the program. The Humanities Brigade is designed to showcase the strength and impact of the humanities at SSU and in the “real world” while meeting goals of DEIA, HSI/MSI, and Civic Engagement initiatives at Salem State. An emphasis is on making a humanities education more readily accessible to incoming students who have been historically marginalized, and help first year students build skills and confidence in how to use their humanities training to address social justice issues. The project will transform both students and our local community.