split7

Just a little more info that I managed to get about the Mellon alternative. Mellon is hoping to fund approx. 80 of the approx. 130 applications that would have been funded by DDRA this year. Because Mellon only funds humanities and its "closely related social sciences" (i.e. history, anthropology, geography), I got the sense that a large number of the reductions will come by excluding highly ranked proprosals from the 'sciency' social sciences and the natural sciences. DDRA identified applications that would have "likely been funded," and fulbright coordinators were encouraged to send those applications on to the Mellon. My fulbright coordinator has no idea how many applications Mellon is considering, (although the 80 out of 130 comes from Mellon Foundation's press release), and she has asked and is still waiting for a timeline on decisions. That same press release says that they'll start July 1, but it is unclear if that means that July 1 is when they will begin reviewing apps or when they will announce the awards. Speaking of what should happen next, I think we should petition DDRA to bestow some kind of honorary designation on those applications that would have "likely been funded." The applicants, readers, and USED staff, have put a lot of time into this, and there should be some public result.