While the scientific community understands the benefits of international scientific collaboration, risks of such collaboration to U.S. national security are now at the forefront of debate. Terry Magnuson examines the recommendations offered in “America and the International Future of Science,” a report from the Academy’s initiative to address Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships.

What do Americans think about the arts and artists? A recent national survey by the American Academy offers a few answers.

Academy’s Commission on the Arts issues Art is Work: Policies to Support Creative Workers, recognizing the importance of artists to the national economy

The Academy cohosted a German-American exchange about the political responsibility of universities for democratic culture as part of ongoing discussions about the importance of democratic values in the twenty-first century.

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences has launched the Commission on Reimagining Our Economy, an interdisciplinary and nonpartisan multiyear effort to rethink the principles that drive economic decision making and to recommend policies that enable opportunity for all.

Arts education, properly supported and available to all, can play a vital role in our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Arts Commission cochairs John Lithgow, Deborah Rutter, and Natasha Trethewey make the case for arts education commitment in the Chicago Tribune.

A new survey found that more than 90 percent of graduates are happy with their lives, despite all the pundits who say they shouldn’t be. Inside Higher Ed delves into other findings from the new Humanities Indicators workforce report.

Close to half of U.S. humanities graduates feel that their undergraduate institution did not prepare them for life and regret their choice of major. The problem – amid a general mood of satisfaction – may trace to unrealistic expectations.

Now is the moment to think about the people, places, and practices of democracy, write Hollie Russon Gilman, Darshan Goux, and Elizabeth Youngling in this op-ed.

The latest report from the Humanities Indicators finds that humanities majors are similar to graduates from almost every other field with respect to perceived well-being— despite tending to earn less and experience higher levels of unemployment.

The Academy’s Commission on the Arts created Mixtape - a multimedia gallery featuring poems, stories, songs, videos, and visual art contributed by members of the Commission and Academy. Mixtape offers art and inspiration wherever you are, whenever you want.

As I write this message, the specter of COVID-19 still hangs over our country and our world. The Academy’s activities have been entirely virtual throughout 2021 (and for most of 2020), and we have postponed in-person Induction ceremonies for two consecutive years. That was a particular disappointment because it is always wonderful to greet our newly elected class and deeply moving to watch each person cross the stage to sign The Book of Members, attesting to their membership in the Academy. We will do everything possible to recreate that experience when it is finally safe to gather.

As Board Chair Nancy Andrews notes in her message, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect every aspect of Academy life. Yet despite the challenges of the last eighteen months, by nearly every measure the strength of our community of members has only increased.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780, during the American Revolution, to provide guidance to a young nation. Throughout its 241-year history, the Academy’s leadership has seldom issued organizational statements, preferring to have its projects, studies, publications, and convenings present the best available thinking about the topics in question. However, when a situation arises – like climate change – that profoundly threatens the world, a call to action from the Academy’s Board of Directors is appropriate.

Governance & Committees, 2021–2022

The firm of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., Certified Public Accountants, conducted the audit of the American Academy’s statements of financial position for the fiscal year 2021 (July 1, 2020–June 30, 2021). I am pleased to report the auditors found the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Academy, and the auditors have issued an unqualified report. The consolidated statement of activities and financial position may be found below. A copy of the audited financial statements is available on the Academy’s website and upon request from the Academy’s Business Office.

July 2020 to June 2021 marked the most successful fundraising year in the Academy’s long history, with more than 1,200 donors contributing over $21 million. Over the course of the year, we celebrated the largest gift to the Academy on record, benefited from the most grant funding received in a single year from foundations, and together achieved a new high-water mark for the Annual Fund with over $2.1 million raised. At the close of the year, the Campaign for the Academy & Its Future had reached over 85 percent of its $100 million goal. On behalf of the Academy’s governance bodies and leadership team, we extend our sincere appreciation to all those who contributed to this remarkable outcome.

The Committee on Studies and Publications supports the Academy’s Council by regularly reviewing and advising on projects, considering topics for future studies, and evaluating publications, including Dædalus. Committee members from a broad range of disciplines and professions share their expertise on projects that explore critical issues, advance discussion on central questions, and offer solutions to both national and international challenges.

Since its founding, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences has worked to promote a strong and virtuous nation. Our charter states that the “end and design” of the American Academy is to “cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.” Today, this effort involves projects designed to advance knowledge about the nation’s institutions and to develop innovative solutions to problems facing American society. Projects in this area interpret the term “institution” broadly, focusing on all of the constituent elements of government and civil society. These projects address how Americans interact with social structures, how these experiences prepare people to make a positive contribution to a diverse nation, and how these institutions might operate differently in the twenty-first century. The Academy shares this research through publications, conferences, and active outreach.