These two-year fellowships are part of a Mellon Foundation Sawyer seminar on “Restoring Trust: Humanistic Perspectives on Academic Freedom, US American Democracy, and Higher Education Leadership.” The seminar explores how humanities scholars and administrators can collaboratively address challenges that arise when universities seek to promote free and open conversations about controversial social justice topics and how this collaboration can help rebuild trust within universities and contribute to the future of higher education in a polarized U.S. American democracy.