EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded $818,000 to Northwestern University for a Northwestern University Press initiative entitled "Global Encounters."

The initiative will enable the Press to collaborate with Northwestern faculty in two key areas: African Studies and Theatre and Performance Studies.

"This is an exciting opportunity because the grant provides avenues for the Press to build on its long-standing expertise in publishing on African studies and theatre, to develop new capabilities in online publishing, and to explore expanded international markets," said Donna Shear, director of Northwestern University Press.

The grant will allow the Press to work with the Program of African Studies (PAS) to bridge the scholarly publishing gap between western and African scholars, said Sani Umar, associate professor of African Studies and a co-principal investigator on the grant.

The other part of the grant will enable the Press to work with faculty in the School of Communication to initiate new approaches to learning about theatre and performance studies. It will allow faculty to document -- in print and online -- performances, scripts, and scholarly and community conversations around three themes: "Festival Latino," "Solo/Black/Woman" and "Black Theatre Is Black Life," a history of black theatre in Chicago since 1930. E. Patrick Johnson, chair of the department of performance studies, will serve as co-principal investigator.