With the passing of Dave Frohnmayer on March 9, 2015, we have lost a remarkable statesman and friend. Although the sadness that comes with his absence will be felt for a long time, we can find comfort in reflecting on this amazing man’s life. He leaves behind a powerful legacy as a charismatic leader in the national and statewide political arena, in public higher education, in the health sector, and in a multitude of other public service roles.

Greetings from Cambridge, Massachusetts, where earlier this fall the Academy celebrated its first in-person Induction weekend since 2019. We welcomed new members from the classes of 2020 and 2021 with an opening celebration featuring Yo-Yo Ma in conversation with David Rubenstein at Harvard Business School’s Klarman Hall. On the following day, new members gathered with governance members, project leaders, and Academy staff for a lively open house at the Academy’s headquarters in Norton’s Woods. Later that afternoon, the two classes of inductees gathered at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium for a resumption of the moving Induction Ceremony that we have all missed for so long.

Online

Daylong symposium at MIT showcases innovative ways of sharing facts and building trust in research results, featuring the Public Face of Science project.

To thwart the skepticism of prospective students, some map job options, offer guarantees.

The White House’s proposed budget cuts to language and exchange programs will make America less able to communicate with and understand our allies and potential adversaries abroad, argues Karl Eikenberry, citing Academy report.

Prolific scholar and public intellectual Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been named the recipient of the Academy’s Don M. Randel Award for Humanistic Studies, which recognizes remarkable scholars whose work shapes our inner lives and our understanding of the world around us.

Despite evidence that points unmistakably to the workplace advantages of a well-rounded education, disciplines in the arts and humanities still lose ground in the national battle for curricular relevance.

This issue of the Bulletin highlights the remarkable breadth of the Academy’s work, describing recent activities in the areas of education, science, international affairs, and the arts. The work detailed in these pages also demonstrates our commitment to core values: elevating the use of evidence and knowledge, embracing diversity and inclusion, and advancing the common good.

Historian Bernard Bailyn opened the celebration of the 220th annual meeting of the Academy with a commentary on the personal characteristics of John Adams as revealed in his diary and his autobiography.

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.

One of the most notable developments in American academic life of the past sixty years has been intellectual renewal where it might have been least expected: among evangelical Christians.

Suddenly trying to teach humanities courses online? Mind your presence, ask good questions and manage expectations, experts say, citing data from the American Academy’s Humanities Indicators project.

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.

A new publication from the Academy, released in January 2015, features selected materials from the Academy’s Archives. Published to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the institution’s founding in 1780, “Advancing Knowledge” reflects the rich intellectual history of the Academy and the nation.

A new study from the American Academy's Humanities Indicators project reveals trends among U.S. residents, and the impact of respondents’ political leanings, socioeconomic status, gender, and race.

Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson, members of the Academy's Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education, write that the recent college admissions scandal represents a small fraction of college admissions and should not distract from persistent inequalities in higher education access.