It is with deep sadness that the American Academy of Arts and Sciences notes the passing of business leader, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and dedicated public servant Morton L. Mandel, who received the organization’s Scholar-Patriot Award in 2016.

The Academy's Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences includes a group of prominent business, government, and academic leaders, artists, and scholars.

Noteworthy

The Academy's Commission on Language Learning makes the case for increasing foreign language learning capacity in a political climate that's increasingly anti-global.

Ten business leaders, 252 organizations across the country issue call to action

I hope you are well during this time of both peril and promise for our nation. After a harrowing year that challenged confidence in our public health system, our economy, and our notions of a just and equitable society, our system of democratic government itself came under unprecedented attack. The January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol revealed just how fragile democracy can be. It also underscored the need for constant vigilance to protect our democratic institutions and a renewed commitment to strengthening them in the years ahead.

Neal Lane and Norman Augustine, cochairs of the Academy project on New Models for U.S. Science and Technology Policy, discuss the project’s latest report on the perils of complacency and how the U.S. can compete with China.

In my first months as president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, I have been thinking a lot about the future–particularly “How can the Academy’s mission and members strengthen democracy?”

By bringing together senior officials from nations that have or are aspiring to have nuclear power, the Academy’s Global Nuclear Future Initiative provided a neutral forum for key players to candidly exchange ideas and approaches, free of posturing that often dominates discussion in the public spotlight.

The humanities, arts, and culture are woven through virtually every Academy program, where artists and humanists add interdisciplinary breadth to projects in science, democracy, and security. However, the Academy also undertakes projects that put humanities, arts, and culture at the forefront, strengthening their practice and highlighting their importance to all aspects of the nation’s thriving intellectual life. These projects call attention to the role the arts and humanities play in enriching the growth and vitality of individuals, communities, and the nation.

On November 15, 2016, the Academy’s San Diego Program Committee hosted Veerabhadran Ramanathan and David G. Victor for a discussion on the state of scientific understanding of climate change and the implications of this knowledge for the development of future policy.

A publication, The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives, proposes adding 150 seats to the House of Representatives, followed by regular expansion. Enlarging the House will help restore the connection between the people and “the people’s house” as envisioned by the nation’s founders.

“Protecting the Internet as a Public Commons” surveys potential safeguards and improvements for the Internet, and weighs whether introducing them might prove counterproductive.

A new lithograph by the U.S. preeminent painter and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly now hangs in the atrium of the House of the Academy. In celebration of the Academy’s 225th anniversary, Kelly donated 25 signed prints of his “Sunflower II” from a limited edition of 60 lithographs. The remaining prints have been designated by Kelly to be used as gifts of appreciation to donors who make lead contributions to the Academy’s endowment and capital funds during the 225th anniversary period.

When looking at American politics at the national level, it is easy to become cynical about the future of our democracy. High levels of polarization persist, and the headlines all too often are dominated by stories of government dysfunction.

On December 15, 2015, the Language Commission convened its first meeting at the Academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, MA, under the leadership of Paul LeClerc.

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences and TIAA Institute today released three videos focused on the national priorities set forth by the Academy’s Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education: quality, completion, and affordability.