A new national commission has been announced by the American Academy of Arts and Science to boost teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences. It was formed in response to a bipartisan request from Congress, which 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 Commission will be chaired by Richard H. Brodhead, President of Duke University, and John W. Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Exelon Corporation. It includes prominent Americans from the humanities, the social sciences, the physical and life sciences, business, law, philanthropy, the arts, and the media.
It is really good to know that the congress did this kind of initiative, at least we know that they are ‘listening’.