O'Neal had been prepared to present his research on literary production and criticism during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s at the symposium. Instead, he will be competing for one of 85 fellowships offered nationally through the Mellon Foundation to encourage teaching careers in the humanities. Twenty KU students have received Mellon fellowships since the program was established in 1982. In the regional competition, candidates have a 20-minute interview with a panel of faculty judges from the students' geographic region. O'Neal will be one of 31 semifinalists competing in the central region, which includes Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.
Regional judges select finalists and submit their names to the foundation officers in Princeton.
Winners for 2000 are expected to be announced during the first week of April by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. An English major, O'Neal is interested in the history of literary publishing and its affect on literature and art, particularly 20th century African-American literature. During a second semester course in American literature at KU, O'Neal became interested in the special problems that minorities have had gaining access to literary outlets. He plans to pursue a doctorate in American literature and hopes to teach at the university level. O'Neal is a Lawrence High School graduate.