Impactful research through REACH will continue at UNCP thanks to a $950,000 grant awarded by the Mellon Foundation, which has funded the program since 2019.

REACH­­­ stands for Research Engagement Action Community Humanities. Funding supports research site visits across the United States, offsets the cost of applying to graduate school, and sends fellows to conferences to present their research.

“UNCP is honored to receive a generous grant once again from the Mellon Foundation, enabling us to continue our REACH program,” said Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings in a press release. “With our student body, UNCP is uniquely positioned to engage underrepresented groups in meaningful research, inspiring them to pursue graduate and doctoral programs. The ability to participate in undergraduate research because of this funding provides an invaluable opportunity for personal and academic growth, and each year, I’m eager to see the impressive work our students produce.”

Of the 34 REACH graduates, 70% have secured spots in graduate programs studying disciplines such as history, ethnomusicology, sociology and media arts production at UNCP, UNC Greensboro, East Carolina University, Duke, the Institute of World Politics, the University of Arizona, the University of Buffalo and law schools at the University of Virginia and Michigan State University. 

This fall, the fifth cohort of 15 REACH Fellows will participate in an experiential, community-based research project documenting the life histories of the Lumbee Tribe, examining the significance of place and cultural identity as represented in the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) and photography issued by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) from 1936 to 1940.

REACH Fellows will contribute to three public humanities projects:

• a community-driven archive that will be shared by the Lumbee Tribe and UNCP
• a digital story map outlining pertinent information about tribal history as it intersects with the FWP and
• an interactive FSA photograph community exhibit illustrating race and ethnicity in North Carolina.

Dr. Michele Fazio, a professor of English and director of REACH, said the research highlights bridging academic skills with community engagement.

“As the nation’s largest supporter of the humanities, the Mellon Foundation aims to support student research and engagement. Their investment in our students eliminates the financial burden that often accompanies research,” Fazio said in a press release. “The REACH program connects local and regional history with national archives and enables our students to consider how the documentation of lived experience in the past continues to shape the present.”