The University of Arizona Libraries is excited to welcome eight U of A faculty to participate in the 2026 Digital Borderlands in the Classroom Faculty Fellowship Program and Summer Institute. 

This is the third and last cohort of the program, which is funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.

Over the course of a year beginning July 1, 2026, the cohort works with library faculty and staff to redesign or update a course syllabus using digital scholarship tools and archival collections that support undergraduate student research on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, integrating library services and culturally responsive pedagogy practices. 

The program kicks off with the week-long Digital Borderlands in the Classroom Summer Institute in July. 

Faculty will integrate borderlands archival collections, library services, and culturally responsive pedagogy into the curriculum to enrich the educational experiences of all students. The program helps faculty guide students in finding, evaluating, and communicating information about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. This approach empowers undergraduates to engage critically with a range of perspectives and develop appreciation for their own knowledge of the region while becoming more sophisticated producers and consumers of information.

In addition to being awarded a $9,000 stipend to support their work, each Fellow receives ongoing consultation and support from library experts throughout the academic year following the Summer Institute. 

Members of each cohort will deliver their revised course within 18 months following the institute. 

2026 Fellows

Sylvia Chan, Assistant Professor of Practice
English, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
ENGL 109H: Advanced/Honors Composition

Ana Isabel Cornide, Associate Professor of Practice
Spanish & Portuguese, College of Humanities
SPAN 480: Career Readiness in the Borderlands

Ryan A. Kashanipour, Assistant Professor
History, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
HIST 328: Cuisine, Culture, and Power

Nadia Yolanda Alvarez Mexia, Assistant Professor of Practice
W.A. Franke Honors College
HNRS 335-001: Leadership, Advocacy and Building Community

John Senseney, Associate Professor
History, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
HIST 302U: Creating a Digital Past

Michelle Tellez, Associate Professor
Mexican American Studies, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
MAS 487/587: Mexicana/Chicana Women's History

Kenny H. Wong, Lecturer 
Planning and Landscape Architecture,  College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture
ARC 405: Interdisciplinary Design Studio

Adriana Alejandra Zuniga-Teran, Associate Professor
School of Geography, Development & Environment, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
GEOG/PLG 379: Urban Growth & Development

Hispanic Serving Institution

The University of Arizona was designated an Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) in 2018. 

In recent years, the Libraries have led and collaborated on several projects that focus on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and support the university’s HSI commitments, including: the 2020 Mellon-funded Digital Borderlands initiative that supported faculty research projects through library services, the 2023 University of Arizona project, “Connect Arizona Now: Digital Inclusion for Underserved Students and Communities of Southern Arizona, and the 2024 launch of the Ford Foundation-funded Reclaiming the Border Narrative digital archive. 

Digital Borderlands in the Classroom draws upon the valuable work of the university’s Curriculum Development Institute and key HSI initiatives that support advancement of innovative pedagogical approaches that benefit students across the full range of disciplines at the U of A. 

Related: Congratulations to the 2025 Digital Borderlands in the Classroom cohort (4/25/2025)