ACLS Launches New Doctoral Futures Initiative to Assess and Reimagine Humanities Graduate Education

Three Year Collaboration with the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association, and the Society of Biblical Literature Aims to Identify and Introduce New Approaches for Humanities PhD Programs

NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), in partnership with the American Historical Association (AHA), the Modern Language Association (MLA), and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), has launched Doctoral Futures. This bold, three-year initiative aims to reimagine humanities PhD programs with new structures, policies, and academic cultures that will better prepare the next generation of knowledge producers. The program is made possible by a grant from The Mellon Foundation, with additional funding by the ACLS endowment.

Higher education has seen a stream of unprecedented attacks in 2025 that has been particularly destructive to the humanities and social sciences. Deep cuts to funding, staff, enrollments, and resources have resulted in real threats to if and how humanistic knowledge is produced and circulated through the training of graduate students.

In response, the Doctoral Futures initiative will lead a series of in-person and virtual committees comprised of institutional leaders, academic societies, faculty, and current and recent doctoral students. These committees will assess and reimagine humanities graduate education, from recruitment and admissions practices to curricular innovation and mentoring and retention practices to longitudinal examinations of career outcomes for PhDs. Doctoral Futures will also develop a robust, publicly accessible inventory of research on humanities graduate education innovation efforts, as well as produce new research on promising practices; engage institutional decision makers around adapting practices; and provide support for administrators and faculty as they implement new practices.

"The future of doctoral education in many humanities fields in the United States is bleak. We must find practical ways to fight austerity, help PhD students thrive when academic jobs are scarce, and engage them in the urgent mission of attracting the next generation of undergraduates to humanistic study," said ACLS President Joy Connolly. "Through the three-year course of Doctoral Futures, we will work collaboratively with our academic society partners to improve the graduate experience in the humanities for all students, including first generation college graduates and those from traditionally underrepresented groups. This initiative is aligned with our advocacy for changes in the faculty merit system, so that we better reward the necessary work of keeping undergraduate degree programs robust and growing."  

In Fall 2025, Doctoral Futures will host concurrent committees to examine the landscape of higher education across three core areas: Preparation and Inclusion, led by the Society of Biblical Literature; Graduate Programs, led by the Modern Language Association; and Career Pathways for PhDs, led by the American Historical Association. The work continues through 2026 as innovative approaches are assessed with an eye towards consensus building on the most promising practices. Recommendations will be circulated broadly in early 2027 as part of a series of events to build buy in. A comprehensive report on progress and outcomes is expected to be published in 2028.

The Doctoral Futures initiative is convened by ACLS and led by Stacy Hartman, Program Officer, Higher Education Initiatives, and Treviene Harris , Project Manager. Hartman previously served as a consultant for ACLS, as well as the director of the PublicsLab at the Graduate Center, City University of New York and is the co-editor of Graduate Education for a Thriving Humanities Ecosystem (Modern Language Association, 2023). She holds a PhD in German Studies from Stanford University. Harris previously worked as a research consultant and facilitator for ACLS on the Luce Design Workshop for a New Academy and Intention Foundry. At the University of Pittsburgh, she coordinated the Graduate Student Teaching Initiative, and managed career exploration and professional development programming for doctoral students. She holds a PhD in Critical and Cultural Studies focused on Anglophone Caribbean literature and historiography.

Participation in Doctoral Futures working groups is by invitation. For more information email [email protected]. Sign up for news and updates on this initiative.   

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS expands the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting its commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship.

Founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the American Historical Association provides leadership for the discipline and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. The Association defends academic freedom, develops professional standards, supports innovative scholarship and teaching, and helps to sustain and enhance the work of historians. As the largest membership association of professional historians in the world (nearly 11,000 members), the AHA serves historians in a wide variety of professions and represents every historical era and geographical area. Learn more at historians.org.

The Modern Language Association of America and its 20,000 members work to strengthen the study and teaching of languages and literature. Founded in 1883, the MLA provides opportunities for its members to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the academy. The MLA sustains a wide-ranging print and electronic publishing program that includes books, journals, style guides, and an international bibliography. More information on MLA programs is available at www.mla.org.

Founded in 1880, the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) is the oldest and largest learned society devoted to the critical investigation of the Bible from a variety of academic disciplines. SBL members are scholars, teachers, students, religious professionals, administrators, and staff in educational institutions, as well as interested members of the public. As an international organization, SBL offers its members opportunities for mutual support, intellectual growth, and professional development through several initiatives. These initiatives include organizing meetings for scholarly exchange, publishing high-quality biblical scholarship, and promoting cooperation across global boundaries. Learn more about SBL at www.sbl-site.org.  

SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies