Introducing the New Director
Professor Jeffrey McCune has been the faculty director of the Washington University Mellon Mays Fellowship program for three years. His enthusiasm for training the next generation of scholars has known no bounds, but all things must end, including Professor McCune's tenure as the Mellon Mays program director. He passes the mantle to Professor Rafia Zafar, whose directorial duties will begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Professor Zafar has been a part of Washington University's Mellon Mays program since the beginning. She has been mentor to a number of Mellon Mays fellows who are currently rocking the academy. At Washington University, she holds a triple appointment in the English, American Culture Studies and African & African American Studies departments, was formerly the director of the African & African American Studies department, and is also my mentor. Over the past two years I have had the pleasure of being in two of Professor Zafar's classes and we have spent hours chatting about everything from ripped jeans to my thesis revisions.
When asked what she enjoys most about mentoring, Professor Zafar responded, "I like working with students. It's nice seeing them get excited about their research." Professor Zafar's own entry into the academy was a bit delayed and she believes that if such a program existed at her university when she was an undergraduate, she would have entered a Ph.D program immediately after receiving her Bachelor's degree. She also believes that the Mellon Mays program "teaches the fellows the various ways to live the life of the mind" and how to apply the work we do with the program to a variety of endeavors. As she transitions from mentor to director, Professor Zafar will continue to inspire and guide the fellows in the Mellon Mays program seminar as she has inspired and guided her mentees.
By Sherri Gardner
MELLON
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