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PATH: An Arts and Humanities Program PATH
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The History of PATH

  • The grant was set in motion to recruit, retain and encourage student success with the intention of creating a new generation of thought leaders to reshape the value of the humanities. 
  • The program was quickly named PATH, an acronym for Preparing Accomplished Transfers to the Humanities. Given the interconnection of arts and humanities, the decision was made shortly after to expand the scope of the project to include the arts as well, while keeping the already-established acronym the same.
  • Faculty and staff at both UC San Diego and SDCCD began a collaborative effort to build connections across the regional higher education system, create new opportunities for students from traditionally disadvantaged communities, and support students in the transition from community college to life at the large research university, and in preparation for careers beyond.
  • Of the grant components, the PATH Summer Academy became a key focus and the first cohort joined the program in July 2017.
  • The grant has seen such impact that it has been renewed three times, most recently in fall 2024, with the content focus shifting and improving among each iteration. Each grant has outlined various components that aim to further the support for the San Diego community of transfer students, scholars and educators invested in the arts and humanities. To view the components of each grant, please see the drawers below.

Over the Years

Phase 1: The Beginning - 2016

In fall of 2016, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a generous grant of $2.59M to the School of Arts and Humanities at UC San Diego in partnership with the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), marking the School’s largest grant received to date. 

With the intention of creating a new generation of thought leaders to reshape the value of the humanities, the grant was set in motion. Faculty and staff at both institutions began a collaborative effort to build connections across the regional higher education system, create new opportunities for students, and support students studying arts and humanities in the transition from community college to life at the large research university, and in prepare for careers beyond. 

The grant had five programmatic areas

  • PATH Summer Academy 
  • Student Outreach, Recruitment and Retention
  • Faculty Connections
  • Student Enrichment
  • Digital Commons - KNIT website

Phase 2: The Middle - 2019

In December 2019, a second Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant was awarded to continue the programs work. Phase II of the grant will continue to improve upon the effective components of the first phase, while expanding meaningfully with new initiatives.

New Initiatives

  • The Integrated Internship Fellowship initiative for Ph.D. students
  • Writing for Professional Success
  • Counseling Support
  • New Service Learning Opportunities
  • PATH Passport Program
  • Digital Humanities initiative

Phase 2: The Middle - Digital Humanities/Digital Literacy Workshops

This three-year interactive workshop series during focused on open access, digital humanities, and digital literacy. These workshops were geared towards motivating and empowering students to create and share open access and digital humanities research and educational materials.

The Digital Humanities Series was offered at no-cost to PATH participants. In the first two years, attendees who participated in seven of the nine workshops would receive a Certificate of Completion in the Digital Humanities.

2023-2024 workshops

  • Healthy Soup Cooking - June 7, 2024
  • Intro to Digital Privacy & Reputation Management - May 2, 2024
  • Intro to GIS & Data Science concepts for digital humanists - Feb. 5, 2024
  • Intro to GIS & Data Science concepts for digital humanists - Nov. 27, 2023

2022-2023 workshops

  • UC Love Data Week 2023
  • Digital Ethics - April 26, 2023
  • Basics of Typography - April 4 and 6, 2023
  • Craft Center @ UC San Diego - March 10
  • Library Digital Collections & Oral Histories - Feb. 21, 2023
  • Basics of Adobe Illustrator - Jan. 24 and 26, 2023
  • Data & GIS Tools for the Humanities in the Library - Nov. 3, 2022
  • Fundamentals of Podcasting - Oct. 24 and 27, 2022
  • Scoring & Sound Design - Sept. 19 and 22, 2022

2021-2022 workshops

  • UC Data Week 2022
  • Digital Ethics - April 27, 2022
  • A Glimpse Into Improv - April 26 and May 3, 2022
  • Basics of Typography Workshop - March 29 and 31, 2022
  • Virtual World Building in Digital Humanities - Feb. 24, 2022
  • Basics of Adobe Illustrator Workshop - Jan. 25 and 27, 2022
  • Race & Oral History Project - Feb. 1, 2022
  • UC Data Week 2021
  • Digital Humanities in the Library - Nov. 3, 2021
  • Final Cut Pro X - Oct. 19 and 21, 2021
  • Scoring & Sound Design - Sept. 20 and 23, 2021

 

Phase 3: The latest - 2024

In November 2024, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a third grant to continue the development of the program. In particular, the latest funding focuses on faculty professional development, curriculum innovation and career preparation with a focus on social justice, outlined above.

Added focus

  • Faculty Professional Development
  • Curriculum Innovation
  • Career Preparation

 

Details Worth Documenting

News Articles about the Program