The opening program of the 2022 Induction weekend featured a conversation between David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma that explored the meaning and honor of Academy membership, the power and universality of music, and the importance of the arts, culture, and education, among other topics. An edited version of their conversation follows.

In 2021, the Academy received a gift from business leader, philanthropist, and Academy member David M. Rubenstein to support the building of a new addition to the headquarters in Cambridge, MA. The new wing would house the organization’s institutional archives, furthering the efforts to date to preserve the records of the Academy and make them more accessible. Academy President David W. Oxtoby said of the gift, “David Rubenstein’s generosity reflects his deep appreciation for the arc of history and his abiding interest in strengthening democracy and justice in America.”

"Witnessing the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in my hometown of New Orleans a decade ago triggered an obligation to test the utility of all that I have learned in a long career as a public health scientist."

The Academy’s Special Collections include materials related to the family life of Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, an American-born thermodynamic physicist, military officer, and inventor. Elected a Foreign Honorary Member in 1789, Rumford donated $5,000 in stock to the Academy, which later formed the basis of the prize that bears his name.

In December I used my year-end message to highlight the outstanding speeches delivered by new members representing each of the Academy’s five classes at the September 2023 Induction Ceremony. The speakers addressed an extraordinary range of issues, speaking on themes related to artificial intelligence, climate action, creativity, inquiry, and identity. The text of their remarks is included in this issue of the Bulletin, and I hope you will enjoy reading them if you have not already viewed them online.

On January 25, 2013,Thomas Levy described “cyber-archaeology” and the important role it plays in helping to promote excellence in the humanities and social sciences.

The Academy proposes the formation of a task force to examine the rationale, means, and consequences of achieving universal basic and secondary education (UBASE) -that is, an education of high quality for all the world's children from age 6 to 16. We hope that an ambitious program of action-oriented research will lead to the development of a global plan of action for UBASE and its subsequent implementation.

Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University, addresses the future of liberal arts education.

The problem of nuclear terrorism has achieved remarkable visibility in the past few years thanks to the enormous efforts conducted by several countries under the effective leadership of the United States and alongside a myriad of NGOs, think tanks, and international organizations.

Jotwell examines Aaron Nielson’s Dædalus essay, “Deconstruction (Not Destruction),” which reinterprets deconstruction in the “more technical sense of examining the administrative state to identify where theory and reality diverge and what can be done to fix it.”

Essays explore Russia under Vladimir Putin and the prospects for significant political changes today and in a post-Putin era.

Animals live in a world of limited resources. When resources that affect survival and reproduction–food, water, mates, nest sites, burrows, and so on–are scarce, conflicts of interest arise.

The criminalization of immigrants in America has been a decades-long project advanced by Democrats and Republicans alike with Donald Trump's campaign a sharp turn toward explicit nativism. The essays in the Spring 2021 issue of Dædalus offer a bleak assessment of how we got here, but some still find room for optimism.

Explanation for the estimates included in the state profiles, which were generated from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample.

One of the recommendations for strengthening democracy proposed in Our Common Purpose - the report of a bipartisan Academy commission - is expanding national service. To support that initiative, the Academy partnered with organizational leaders in the national service field to develop a better understanding of why people serve and how to increase engagement. This article shares key findings from that effort.

Morton L. Mandel, business leader and entrepreneur, named as the recipient of the American Academy's Scholar-Patriot Award in recognition of his philanthropy and dedication to public service.

Geoffrey R. Stone moderated a conversation with journalist Judith Miller, Judge Richard A. Posner, and author Gabriel Schoenfeld about the balance between freedom of the press and national security. Each panelist offered his or her perspective on bridging legal and ethical issues.

As the Academy emerges from this difficult year, we have good news to share as well. Despite the challenges we have faced, our Academy community has remained active and vibrant.

Jerrold Meinwald will long be remembered for his consummate curiosity, his infectious smile, his love of music, and his passion for all things wondrous. With his passing on April 23, 2018, we grieve the loss of this wonderful, kind, and generous man who made our lives much richer in so many ways.