American Council of Learned Societies Names Morgan Professor as Inaugural ACLS HBCU Faculty Grant Awardee

MSU’s Dr. Gonzalo Baptista Among 20 Selected Faculty Nationwide to Receive Support for Outstanding Research in the Humanities and Interpretive Social Sciences at HBCUs

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has selected Morgan State University’s Gonzalo Baptista, Ph.D., as one of its 12 inaugural 2024 ACLS HBCU Faculty Grant awardees. Baptista, an associate professor of Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts Department of World Languages and International Studies, will receive a grant award of $10,000 to support early-stage project development and shorter-term projects related to his research, Analysis of (Mis)representation of Black Bodies in Spanish Museum Iconography, along with access to networking and scholarly programming aligning with his academic goals and institutional contexts. In addition to Dr. Baptista’s award, the University will also receive a grant of $2,500 to support humanities programming or infrastructure.

This year, ACLS’s grant program will support 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) faculty scholars representing 16 HBCUs nationwide and a wide range of disciplines and scholarly approaches to humanistic research, community-engaged work, and pedagogical innovation. The 2024 faculty fellows and grantees were chosen from a pool of more than 150 applications received.

“We are thrilled to award these outstanding scholars the inaugural ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellowships and Grants,” said ACLS President Joy Connolly. “Historically Black Colleges and Universities are a vital part of American higher education, with a long history of rich contributions to public knowledge and our nation’s social and political health. ACLS celebrates the commitment and brilliance of these awardees and applauds their institutions for fostering excellence in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.”

ACLS developed the HBCU Faculty Fellowship and Grant Program collaboratively with HBCU faculty and academic leaders through a series of on-campus workshops, discussions, and virtual focus groups. The program is funded by the ACLS endowment, which has benefited over the years from the generous support of institutions and individuals, including the ACLS Associate member network, past fellows, and friends of ACLS. The program provides flexible support that bolsters HBCUs' research, teaching, and service commitments.

Formed a century ago and growing to become a nonprofit federation of 80 scholarly organizations, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good and in supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its endowment and $37 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship and is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice.

Through its general education offerings, the James H. Gilliam, Jr. College of Liberal Arts provides the foundation for all student learning at the University by assisting in the development of students' critical and analytical skills, foundational oral and written skills in both English and other world languages, and awareness of the global forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, the modern world. In its major programs, the College aspires to provide high-quality, student-focused teaching and research opportunities in communication and media studies, the humanities, the fine and performing arts and the social sciences. The College's programs instill an appreciation for liberal learning while preparing students for the professions and/or for advanced academic study.

Header photo courtesy of Morgan student Carson Freeman.