Three leaders of cultural, civic and higher education institutions are being recognized for their contributions to Chicago and the nation by the 225-year-old American Academy of Arts and Sciences. On Saturday, November 19, as part of a program on Shapers of the New Chicago, the three leaders – John Bryan, Richard Franke and Don Michael Randel – are to receive special Founders Awards from the Academy.

On Wednesday, the 19th of February of 1800 at 11:00 A.M., the Academy met pursuant to adjournment at the Senate Chamber of the Old State House and from there went in procession, at 12 o’clock, to the Meeting House on Brattle Street where a Eulogy on General George Washington was pronounced before the Academy by Dr. John Davis, Recording Secretary.

A working group of the American Academy project “Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships,” led by Arthur Bienenstock and Peter Michelson, calls greater global cooperation “increasingly essential.”

Criticism of the humanities seems commonplace among policymakers. That is in the face of contrary evidence including a recent study by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences showing that humanities graduates have similar rates of employment and job satisfaction than those in other fields.

The events of the last decade, including the business failures of 2001-2002 and the economic crisis of 2008-2009, have called into question fundamental assumptions regarding the role of business and its relationship to global financial markets, governments, and society as a whole. The American Academy of Arts & Sciences will convene a working conference, cosponsored by the New York University Pollack Center for Law and Business, at the NYU Law School.

From the Archives

On October 8, 2016, 175 new Fellows and 37 new Foreign Honorary Members will be inducted into the American Academy. The Induction weekend is a wonderful occasion for Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members to meet one another, learn about the Academy’s work, and formally celebrate their election to the Academy.

Danielle Allen is a leader of two large-scale efforts to make democracy truly inclusive and reimagine the way we teach new generations of democratic citizens. She joined the Democracy Works podcast to discuss both initiatives, including the Academy’s report, “Our Common Purpose,” and how to build coalitions for effective change.

The United States is spending tens of billions of dollars annually – far more than all other countries combined – to acquire advanced military space capabilities. However, for technical and economic reasons, that investment is unlikely to yield the government’s stated military goals.

“More people worldwide are being displaced from their homes for longer periods than ever before,” noted David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, at a gathering of Academy members and guests at the inaugural Jonathan F. Fanton Lecture in New York. Miliband, one of the foremost advocates for refugees and a leader in responses to global humanitarian and human rights crises, described the causes of today’s global refugee crisis and offered solutions, both simple and effective.

As both a scholar and former administrator, Hope Shannon has been immersed in the world of local history organizations, and speaks in her essay to the ways in which such groups can use NIHO to leverage their limited resources.

A growing numbers of parents are either delaying or selectively administering immunizations – or choosing not to vaccinate their children at all. A new Academy report makes clear that reversing this trend requires dedicated research on how vaccine decisions are made and the best ways to communicate factual information to vaccine-hesitant parents.

Academy member Abraham Loeb connects the future of technological innovation to the lessons of the humanities, citing Academy report "The Heart of the Matter."

An article and embedded video exploring what the Commission on Reimagining Our Economy learned from listening sessions in Indian Country, which Commission recommendations would have the greatest impact on tribal nations, and the unique economic challenges and opportunities facing Indian Country.

Danielle Allen assesses the threats that new AI tools may pose to American democracy.

Authors from Diverse Perspectives Try to Define Universal Education Goals in New Academy Publication

On April 11, 2019, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences presented the inaugural Award for Excellence in Public Policy and Public Affairs to Ernest J. Moniz, the 13th Secretary of Energy of the United States. Ashton Carter, who served as the 25th Secretary of Defense of the United States and is the current Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, introduced Secretary Moniz and presented the award. An edited version of Secretary Moniz’s acceptance remarks appears below.

Academy to launch a major reexamination of U.S. foreign policy toward Russia and to develop a new comprehensive, coherent, and effective policy on U.S.-Russian relations for consideration by the next American president.