Wichita State University has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to create the Wichita HIREs program: Humanities Internships Reward Employers, an initiative designed to expand applied learning opportunities for students pursuing humanities degrees. This transformative grant includes a $1 million matching funds requirement to build a long-term endowment to sustain the program beyond the five-year grant period.

Beginning in the 2026 spring semester, Wichita HIREs will leverage WSU’s established leadership in applied learning to create increased opportunities for humanities students. While Wichita State students collectively work in more than 12,000 paid positions per academic year, humanities majors account for only 0.5% of those opportunities. This program will directly address this gap by creating paid internships for approximately 300 humanities students over the life of the grant.

“We are proud to receive this grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand paid applied learning in ways that advance WSU’s mission and directly benefit our community,” said Wichita State President Rick Muma. “This program will showcase to employers across Kansas the tremendous value humanities students can offer.”

Through partnerships facilitated by the Shocker Career Accelerator, students will work with local nonprofits, government agencies and businesses with missions rooted in social justice, community engagement and cultural enrichment. In tandem, they will enroll in classes facilitated by WSU faculty to ensure the internship experiences are academically grounded while emphasizing the essential skills cultivated through humanities courses.

The Mellon Foundation grant will support student internship wages, faculty stipends, program development, student travel and a full-time staff member dedicated to employer engagement and internship coordination. Facilitated by co-principal investigators Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Lisa Parcell, Kansas Health Foundation director of the Elliott School of Communication, the initiative is designed to create immediate opportunities for students and establish a sustainable funding model. A $1 million portion of the grant, when matched by private donations, will establish an endowed fund to continue the program after the grant period ends.

“This support from the Mellon Foundation empowers Wichita State to elevate the role of the humanities as a driver for economic, civic and cultural impact,” Estes said. “Wichita HIREs will expand our students’ access to meaningful work experiences and strengthen their connection to important priorities and initiatives in the Wichita community.”

Wichita State University was one of a limited group of select public universities invited to submit a proposal for this grant through Mellon’s Higher Learning program.

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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