College’s Southwestern & Mexican Studies Internship Program Seeks Matching Funds for $50,000 NEH Grant
Internships with the Austin College Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies have placed students researching communities in the semi-desert areas of Mexico, archiving Sam Rayburn’s personal papers in Bonham, Texas, and digging up “dino bones” at the local museum alongside area school children. These experiences develop students in ways that a classroom lecture never could; and, they come with a cost.
To expand the current internship program, Austin College has been selected to receive a $50,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. To remain eligible for the matching funds, Austin College must raise the first $25,000 by April 2018, and the remainder funded by 2019.
“The grant will help the College expand the activities of the Center and deepen student’s engagement in the humanities in North Texas and Southern Oklahoma,” said project director Julie Hempel, associate professor of Spanish and department chair for Classical and Modern Languages. “Summer internships give these young adults hands-on experience that enriches their humanities education and provides staffing support for organizations that are dedicated to the humanities.”
With the grant, Austin College will increase its current program from five to nine internship partners, and provide stipends, and room and board for the interns. “These additions will make it possible to reach a larger market and allow economically disadvantaged students to participate in this life-changing opportunity,” Hempel said.
Austin College’s “Southwestern Cultures: Strengthening the Humanities through Internships” was one of 253 humanities programs funded by $12.8 million in total grants from the NEH announced in December 2017. The College’s $50,000 NEH grant will be matched by funds raised by the College and is set to complete in three years. To contribute financially to the matching funds for internships in Southwestern and Mexican studies, call 903.813.2058 or email giving@austincollege.edu.
The Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies began the internship program in 2008 and currently partners with the Choctaw Nation in Durant, Oklahoma; the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas; Talento Bilengue de Houston; the Sam Rayburn Museum and Library in Bonham, Texas; and the Sherman Museum in Sherman, Texas.
The grant proposal describes efforts to add partners including the Chahta Foundation, the National Hispanic Institute, the poet laureate of Texas, and the Adams Archives of Paul Quinn College in Dallas.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.