Thanks to a three-year, $585,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Pace University is launching the new Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media Arts Fellows Program.
The initiative aims to develop diverse and inclusive voices in media and the performing arts by selecting undergraduate arts and humanities majors from underrepresented communities of color for a fellowship. The program will give students the tools and support needed to embark on sustainable careers as writers in the entertainment industry. Activities within the fellowship are set to include mentoring and guidance, networking opportunities, and access to industry professionals representative of intersectional diversity.
“In my own career I have seen a lack of diversity in the sciences, and in the media and entertainment industries,” says Pace Provost Dr. Vanya Quiñones. “With the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this new program will help develop diverse voices by providing students with the necessary training to tell their own stories on our country’s screens and stages.”
“It is fitting that Pace University is leading the effort to have underrepresented communities gain their fair share of voice when it comes to the telling of their stories in mainstream film, television, plays and other media,” adds Dyson College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Nira Herrmann. “Our motto of Opportunitas speaks directly to providing our population of diverse students the education they need to be part of an important paradigm shift in how the media tells the stories of disenfranchised populations. We are thrilled that the Mellon Foundation is supporting this initiative.”
