-- Hello all - Below is an announcement forwarded from CAA---
 
A message from the American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences.
From: American Academy Commission [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 5:18 PM
Subject: American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences

Dear Colleague:

Today, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences announces the creation of the Commission on the Humanities and Social Science.  Attached is a press release that includes the most current list of confirmed members.  We would be grateful if you would distribute it to your members and constituents.

In the coming months, the Commission will begin to examine the role of the humanities and social sciences in America, including their impact on the nation's economic growth and geopolitical competitiveness.  We invite your comments and suggestions, and look forward to updating you on our work.
 
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences
Established by American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Responds to Congressional Request
WASHINGTON, DC ­ The President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Leslie C.
Berlowitz, today announced the creation of a national commission to bolster teaching and
research in the humanities and social sciences, fields that are critical to culture, education, and to
America's economic competitiveness. The Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences
will be chaired by Richard H. Brodhead, President of Duke University, and JohnW. Rowe,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Exelon Corporation, and includes prominent
Americans from the humanities, the social sciences, the physical and life sciences, business, law,
philanthropy, the arts, and the media.
The Commission was formed in response to a bipartisan request from United States Senators
Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Representatives Tom
Petri (R-Wisconsin) and David Price (D-North Carolina).
Congress asked the Academy to respond to the following charge:
What are the top ten actions that Congress, state governments, universities, foundations,
educators, individual benefactors, and others should take now to maintain national
excellence in humanities and social scientific scholarship and education, and to achieve
long-term national goals for our intellectual and economic well-being; for a stronger,
more vibrant civil society; and for the success of cultural diplomacy in the 21st century?
"The humanities and social sciences provide the intellectual framework for the nation's
economic, political, and governing institutions," said Commission Co-chair Richard H.
Brodhead. "They enrich our lives and our understanding. Americans already appreciate the
importance of math and science to our future; this Commission will remind Americans of the
long-term importance of the liberal arts as well."
Commission Co-chair John W. Rowe added: "Knowledge of history, an understanding of civic
institutions, the ability to use evidence and to think creatively, an aptitude for cross-cultural
communication--these are all vital attributes of a 21st century citizen."
"The American Academy, with its long record of stewardship and support for the humanities and
social sciences, is well-suited to lead this effort," said Academy President Berlowitz.
"Scholarship and education in these disciplines enable our citizens and our government to adapt
to evolving circumstances at home and abroad. They are critical to our ability to compete in a
global economy."
The findings of the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences will serve as a
companion to a forthcoming report of the National Academies on the future of the research
university and ways to strengthen the American scientific enterprise.
"Our nation's long tradition of research and scholarship in humanities and social science has
been the basis for an informed citizenry that comes from many countries, races, religions and
cultures, but shares a common set of ideals, such as liberty, equal opportunity, and the rule of
law," said Senator Lamar Alexander, who previously served as U.S. Secretary of Education
and President of the University of Tennessee. "I am pleased that the American Academy is
creating this Commission to provide recommendations on the best ways to maintain our nation's
excellence in humanities and social science education, from grade-school history classes to
graduate-level economic research."
"As our world becomes more interconnected, building a solid foundation in the humanities is of
vital national importance," Rep. David Price said. "It is the humanities which ground, inform,
and shape our civic, cultural, and intellectual lives. Maintaining a robust capacity for teaching
and research in these fields will help provide a context and a framework for the most current and
urgent policy debates. I look forward to receiving the commission's recommendations."
"To preserve and build on America's traditions and principles, we must have a firm
understanding of our unique history, culture and heritage," said Rep. Tom Petri. "Our
humanities and social science institutions help to foster that understanding, and the results of this
report will guide us as we work to strengthen those institutions."
"I look forward to learning more about how we can further strengthen the arts, humanities, and
social sciences throughout the country," said Senator Mark Warner. "Understanding where we
are, where we have been, and where we need to go is so important, and I am pleased that the
Academy is tackling this challenge."
The American Academy Commission will draw on past research efforts, data from its
Humanities Indicators, and the experience and expertise of a multidisciplinary group of national
leaders to recommend specific, actionable steps to maintain the nation's excellence in the
humanities and the social sciences. The Commission will focus on education, research, and the
institutions critical to advancing the humanities and social sciences in the nation.
The work of the Commission is being funded initially by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The Commission expects to complete its work over the next 18 to 24 months. Further
information about the initiative can be found at www.amacad.org.
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research
center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. Current
Academy research focuses on science and technology policy; global security; social policy; the
humanities and culture; and education. With headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the
Academy's work is advanced by its 4,300 elected members, who are leaders in the academic
disciplines, the arts, business and public affairs from around the world.
XXX
Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences
Membership
Richard H. Brodhead, President, Duke University, Co-Chair
John W. Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Corporation, Co-Chair
Leslie Berlowitz, President, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Danielle S. Allen, Professor of Political Science, Institute for Advanced Study
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy, Princeton University
Norman R. Augustine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Retired), Lockheed Martin Corporation
Robert M. Berdahl, President, Association of American Universities
Phil Bredesen, Jr., Former Governor of Tennessee
David Brooks, Journalist, New York Times
Louise H. Bryson, Chair Emerita, J. Paul Getty Trust
Ken Burns, Director, Producer, Florentine Films
Tom Campbell, Professor of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Former United States
Representative
G. Wayne Clough, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution
James Cuno, Director and President, Art Institute of Chicago
Gerald Early, Professor of Modern Letters; Director, Center for the Humanities, Washington University
in St. Louis
John Engler, President, Business Roundtable; Former Governor of Michigan
Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, TIAA-CREF
Richard B. Freeman, Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Annette Gordon-Reed, Professor of Law, Professor of History, Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for
Advanced Study, Harvard University
Anthony Grafton, Professor of History, Princeton University
Amy Gutmann, President, University of Pennsylvania
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Professor of Communications; Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center,
University of Pennsylvania
Emmylou Harris, Musician/Songwriter
Robert M. Hauser, Professor of Sociology; Director, Center for Demography of Health and Aging,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
F. Warren Hellman, Co-Founder, Hellman & Friedman LLC
John L. Hennessy, President, Stanford University
Rev. John I. Jenkins, President, University of Notre Dame
John Lithgow, Actor
George Lucas, Producer, Screenwriter, Director, Founder and Chairman, Lucasfilm Ltd.
Carolyn "Biddy" Martin, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Page 1 of 2
James McNerney, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Boeing Company
Carl H. Pforzheimer III, Managing Partner, Carl H. Pforzheimer and Co.
John Sexton, President, New York University
Donna E. Shalala, President, University of Miami
David J. Skorton, President, Cornell University
David Souter, Former Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Eric Sundquist, Professor of English, Johns Hopkins University
Billie Tsien, Architect, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering
John E. Warnock, Chairman of the Board, Adobe Systems, Inc.
Diane P. Wood, Federal Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Pauline Yu, President, American Council of Learned Societies
___________________________________________

Laura Graveline, Visual Arts Librarian
HB6025
Sherman Art Library
Dartmouth College
Hanover NH 03755

603-646-3831
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/sherman/
 

 


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