$1M Mellon Foundation grant will boost transgender studies at KU

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies has received a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to deepen the department’s work in transgender studies.

The grant will allow the department to hire a faculty member next year, increasing KU’s number of transgender studies scholars. In addition, funds will be allocated to the greater community through public programming, community grants and scholarly events. 

“This grant is a remarkable achievement for an outstanding department,” said Arash Mafi, executive dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at KU. “The Mellon grant is a reflection of their outstanding contributions in this area, and we look forward to witnessing the continued impact of their research on shaping the future of transgender studies."

The grant will enable the department to build a curriculum that will allow students to access and explore transgender studies as an academic field, to aid the larger community in making Lawrence and Kansas at large a more trans-friendly and trans-flourishing landscape and to catalyze further research in this field across the country in ways that will have great influence on the discipline and the larger society.

“Trans studies is an exciting and innovative scholarly branch of WGSS that is producing some of the most exciting theoretical frameworks and real-world applications,” said Katie Batza, professor and chair of the women, gender & sexuality studies department. “We are thrilled to be at the heart of this generative and impactful scholarly area.”

Beyond a new hire and community outreach work, the department also plans to use grant money to dedicate a graduate teaching assistant line to developing various classes in the program, which has been requested by students. A cohort of transgender studies scholars from across the country will be brought together for a weeklong retreat, also funded by the grant.

“The retreat will generate community, scholarship and a strong trans studies network across the country that will allow this relatively young academic subfield to grow,” Batza said.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was founded in 1969 with a mission to strengthen, promote and defend arts and humanities work crucial to democratic societies. Through grants, the foundation works to build communities by enhancing critical thinking. At the end of 2022, Mellon’s total endowment reached approximately $8.1 billion since the establishment of the foundation.

The College is the heart of KU, educating the most students, producing the most research and collaborating with nearly every entity at KU. The College is home to more than 50 departments, programs and centers, as well as the School of the Arts and School of Public Affairs & Administration.