The Institute for Citizens & Scholars has named College of Charleston Assistant Professor of English Lisa Young as a new Career Enhancement Fellow for the 2021–22 academic year.
Lisa Young
The Career Enhancement Fellowship, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Citizens & Scholars, seeks to increase the presence of underrepresented junior and other faculty members in the humanities, social sciences and arts by creating career development opportunities for selected fellows with promising research projects.
Administered at Citizens & Scholars since 2001, the Career Enhancement Fellowship has supported more than 400 junior faculty members, creating a robust network of scholars committed to eradicating racial disparities in core fields in the arts and humanities.
The program provides fellows with a six-month or one-year sabbatical stipend (up to $30,000); a research, travel or publication stipend (up to $1,500); mentoring; and participation in a professional development retreat. The fellowship period is intended to provide fellows with time and resources to focus on the research and scholarship necessary to secure a tenure-track position.
The 2021 Career Enhancement Fellows work in such disciplines as African American studies, English, women’s and gender studies and sociology. They come from a variety of institutions from across the country. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, this year’s fellows represent unique perspectives within their disciplines and are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion on campus through service and research.
Young, who is one of 16 junior faculty members to receive a 12-month fellowship, has taught undergraduate classes in Afrofuturism, Black women writers, African American literature and first-year writing. Her research examines the intersections between race, gender, housing, health/wellness and the environment.
“Over her first three years at the College, Professor Young’s contributions to our students and to the larger community have been significant,” says Myra Seaman, chair of the English department. “Her courses, talks and scholarship provide varied opportunities for understanding the local legacies of structural racism and for seeing how individuals and communities resist such injustices through their writing.”
The Institute for Citizens & Scholars is a 75-year-old organization that has played a significant role in shaping American higher education. Now, with an expanded mission, Citizens & Scholars prepares leaders and engages networks of people and organizations to meet urgent education challenges. The overarching goal is to shape an informed, productively engaged and hopeful citizenry.
