Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences, Established by American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Responds to Congressional Request

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 John W. 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 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.

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences

Commission Members

Richard H. Brodhead, President, Duke University, Co-Chair

John W. Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Exelon Corporation, Co-Chair

Leslie C. 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

Louise H. Bryson, Chair Emerita, J. Paul Getty Trust

Ken Burns, Director and Producer, Florentine Films

Tom Campbell, Professor of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Former Member of Congress

G. Wayne Clough, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution

James Cuno, President and Director, Art Institute of Chicago

Gerald Early, Professor of Modern Letters, Director, the Center for the Humanities, Washington University in St. Louis

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, Harvard University

Anthony Grafton, Professor of History, Princeton University

Amy Gutmann, President, 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

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Professor of Communications, Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania

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

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

SOURCE American Academy of Arts & Sciences