Increasingly, Ph.D. students in the humanities are empowered to explore a myriad of futures within academia and beyond. To facilitate personal and professional discovery – alongside opportunities to gain experience and connections in the field – GradFUTURES has invested in a wide-ranging partnership with the Modern Language Association. Taking shape in a diverse and increasing roster of programs, the partnership stems from a shared commitment to shape a sustainable future for the humanities.  

"My career in higher ed has been shaped by my side hustles, not by my path as a professor. Ask me about founding publications, getting grants to start national projects, forming coalitions, or working as a sportswriter. The MLA is happy to connect with GradFUTURES to spread professional development opportunities for graduate students nationwide.” – Paula Krebs, Executive Director, Modern Language Association

Princeton’s Graduate School Becomes a Founding MLA Strategic Partner Network Member

GradFUTURES' repository of Ph.D. student outcome data highlights the value of humanities graduate education, as well as the options it confers. The MLA Strategic Partner Network brings together deans and leaders nationwide that share a commitment to proactively supporting humanities training both now and with an eye on the future. The initiative creates a shared space in which to address emerging issues in higher education, while conferring significant benefits to humanities-focused students and departments affiliated with partner institutions. 

• MLA memberships for all graduate students and part-time faculty
• Extensive professional development and mentoring resources
• Department membership in the MLA’s professional development program
• Convention discounts for attendees and exhibitors
• Online access to the ADE Bulletin and its full archives

Highlights of Additional Collaborations between GradFUTURES & the MLA 

GradFUTURES Hosted the 2022 MLA Summer Teaching Institute on Reading and Writing Pedagogy

MLA regional summer Institutes are designed to strengthen the teaching of reading and writing at access-oriented colleges and universities. Participants receive intensive training in pedagogical theory and practice, as well as strategies to facilitate the study of the humanities in vocationally-oriented educational contexts. In July 2022, the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School and GradFUTURES hosted the event, bringing together faculty and doctoral students from more than a dozen institutions for five immersive days of shared learning. 

The theme for 2022 was anti-racist pedagogy and indigenous populations, which came to life in discussions focused on dismantling white language supremacy, bridging the gap between reading and writing in the classroom, and more. Working side-by-side with faculty from access-oriented institutions, participants explored how to make reading and writing instruction accessible, effective, and meaningful for students. The experience culminated in research proposals aimed at exploring and potentially solving issues encountered in their classrooms and institutions.

“There’s a lot of good synergy here. We’re thinking through what we want to do to support our students in the best way possible when it comes to reading, when it comes to writing, when it comes to communication, and when it comes to supporting our students and their goals.” – Lisa King, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

“These are amazing resources that grad students have on campus to improve on our pedagogical skills. If you are interested in anti-racist pedagogy…and being more aware of the diversity that is in your classroom, these are incredible opportunities to learn more and be better prepared to be an educator. Institutions like Princeton prioritize research, and often the teaching skills that we develop are from our day-to-day practices. What GradFUTURES is trying to do is create a space where we can consciously build these skills.” – Isabela Muci Barradas (GS, Art and Archeology)

Watch a recap of the event on YouTube!

Roster of GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellows at the MLA Grows!

Since the summer of 2022, GradFUTURES has placed five social impact fellows with the MLA and counting. Their work has spanned areas including program development, award and prize administration, executive management, and strategic partnership development.

Lidia Trippicione (GS, Slavic Languages and Literature)

Fedor Karmanov (GS, English)

Andrew Meraz-Quiroz (GS, Slavic Languages and Literature)

Salwa Hollaway (GS, Comparative Literature)

Laurens Boomsma (GS, Comparative Literature)

GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships Spur Publication Credits

For two GradFUTURES fellows, Social Impact Fellowships led to chapters in a book focused on improving language program enrollment: “Language Program Vitality in the United States: From Surviving to Thriving in Higher Education” (Springer, 2023)

• Lidia Tripiccione: "Beyond the Crisis: Tools for Analyzing Historical Enrollments in Languages Other Than English"
• Fedor Karmanov: "The Increasing Diversity of World Language Study in the United States, 1958–2016"

“GradFUTURES provided me with the perfect opportunity to better my data analysis skills while working on a project that I find highly stimulating – the trends in enrollments in languages other than English in American universities on the basis of the Modern Language Association database. I would advise students, especially in the Humanities, to take some classes outside of their department and to make the most out of what a university like Princeton has to offer.” – Lidia Trippicione (GS, Slavic Languages and Literatures)

“MLA and GradFUTURES share a commitment to providing exceptional professional development so that humanities graduate students can strengthen their skills and portfolios, preparing them for a wide range of future career paths. Through our collaboration, graduate students have learned the intricacies of working at a humanities-focused nonprofit organization even as they've used their expertise and research skills to help us build greater insight into the history and future of the profession.” – Jason Rhody, Director of Academic Program Services and Professional Development, Modern Language Association

“The thing that has driven my professional choices over two decades in higher education has been the desire to flourish others in their career development.  I'm a curious person, and I care deeply about helping others create their own authentic narratives about their personal, professional, and intellectual growth.” – Janine Utell, Program Manager, Professional Development, Modern Language Association

Ongoing Engagement on Campus & Beyond

GradFUTURES and the MLA partner in multiple ways, in multiple locations, throughout the year!

• Visits to MLA headquarters in NY as part of the Working in the Creative Arts & Public Humanities GradFUTURES Learning Cohort and Humanities Expedition & Trek
• Ph.D. student meet-ups with MLA Executive Director Paula Krebs on campus
• GradFUTURES Forum presentations on Career Diversity Trends & Best Practices and Accelerating Humanities Professional Development
• Panel for humanists and social scientists at the Future Faculty Workshop
• Careers in the Humanities workshop

About the MLA

Founded in 1883, the Modern Language Association of America provides opportunities for its members to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the academy. MLA members host an annual convention and other meetings, work with related organizations, and sustain one of the finest publishing programs in the humanities. For more than a century, members have worked to strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature.