The Society of Senior Ford Fellows (SSFF) is a networking organization made up of former Ford Foundation Fellows. ¹ The purpose of SSFF is to provide networking opportunities to its members. Through its member directory that is visible to the public, members can get requests for speaking engagements or mentorships. ²

The Ford Foundation is one of the largest left-of-center grantmaking foundations in the United States. Its fellowship grants are given to individuals from “underrepresented and marginalized” groups to increase the diversity of college and university faculty. ³ Although SSFF is not formally affiliated with the Foundation, Ford donated $1.25 million to SSFF in 2022. ⁴

Background

The Society of Senior Ford Fellows (SSFF) is made up of former Ford Foundation Fellows who earned doctoral degrees at least seven years prior to becoming a member. ⁵ It is an independent nonprofit organization, not formally affiliated with the Ford Foundation. ⁶ The organization’s goal is to continue to leverage Ford Foundation scholars’ achievements to attain “social justice, equity, and the advancement of intellectual rigor and democratic values in the United States and global society.” ⁷

The Ford Foundation is one of the top liberal foundations in the United States. Its grantmaking focuses on supporting organizations led by women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ communities ⁸ as well as left-of-center causes, including gender, racial, and ethnic justice, climate change, and civic engagement for “underrepresented and marginalized communities.” ⁹

The Ford Fellows program is administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It awards grants to individuals from underrepresented groups. Alumni include former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and left-wing civil rights activist Cornel West. ¹⁰ The goal of the program is to increase the ethnic and racial diversity of U.S. college and university faculties and ensure that these faculties emphasize diversity in how they teach their students. ¹¹

SSFF was created in 2020. Initial efforts were to develop a web-based membership directory of former Ford Fellows and increase its membership. The directory was available to the public and was meant to serve as a source for academic institutions to identify scholars for presentations and articles, and for students to identify possible mentors. In 2021 the organization grew from 79 to 299 members. ¹² As of August 2023 there are 199 members listed in the online directory. ¹³ Benefits of membership include access to other Senior Ford Fellows through the directory and through periodic conferences, and having a customized directory listing for public access that could lead to networking, professional development, and speaking opportunities as well as mentorship requests. ¹⁴

Advocacy

In 2020, the SSFF sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security protesting the policy decision to revoke F-1 visas and deny new F-1 visa applications to students who engage solely in off-campus coursework. ¹⁵ An F-1 Visa allows an individual to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited academic institution. ¹⁶

Funding

2021 tax returns show revenues of $74,331 and expenses of $4,440. In its first full year of operation, revenues were based solely on its membership campaign and member donations. ¹⁷

In 2022 Ford Foundation donated $1.25 million to SSFF to support the efforts of “publicly facing scholars to influence academic, national, and global conversations toward the attainment of social justice.” ¹⁸

Leadership

Executive board elections are held annually. The executive board is made up of the president, president-elect, past president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. ¹⁹

Yvette Huet is the president of SSFF for 2023. She was a 1988 Ford Fellow and earned her doctorate in 1989. ²⁰ She is a professor and director of the Faculty Affairs Office and Diversity Office at UNC Charlotte. ²¹

Koritha Mitchell is president-elect of SSFF. She was a 2004 Ford Fellow and earned her doctorate in 2005. ²² She is a professor at Ohio State University, an author, and a speaker. She wrote a book entitled Living with Lynching and a monograph entitled From Slave Cabins to the White House: Homemade Citizenship in African American Culture. She coined the term “know-your-place-aggression” to describe the belief that “marginalized groups are attacked for their success, not because they have done something wrong.” ²³ She consistently contributes to Democratic candidates through Democratic fundraising conduit ActBlue. ²⁴

Keivan Stassun is vice president of SSFF. He was a 1999 Ford Fellow and earned his doctorate in 2000. ²⁵ Stassun is a professor at Vanderbilt University, and director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at the university. ²⁶

Angela Gonzales is past president of SSFF. She earned her doctorate in 2002. ²⁷ She is an associate professor at the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. ²⁸

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14. “Join Us.” Society of Senior Ford Fellows. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://seniorfordfellows.org/join-us
15. “Opposition to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Policy Decision to Revoke Existing F-1 Visas.” Society of Senior Ford Fellows – News. July 10, 2020. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://seniorfordfellows.org/news/9133466
16. “Students and Employment.” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment
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21. LinkedIn – Yvette Huet. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvette-huet-776a903/
22. “Koritha Mitchell.” Society of Senior Ford Fellows – About – Directory. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://seniorfordfellows.org/Sys/PublicProfile/55954023/5291058
23. “About Koritha Mitchell.” Koritha Mitchell. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.korithamitchell.com/about/
24. ^[1] “Individual contributions – Koritha Mitchell.” Federal Election Commission – Campaign finance data. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Koritha+Mitchell+
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26. LinkedIn – Keivan Stassun. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/keivan-stassun-6849254b/
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28. LinkedIn – Angela Gonzales. Accessed August 6, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-gonzales-b694439/