Departments

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American Academy of Arts and Sciences

  • 6-19-13

    1964 Report: Humanities "Uniquely Equipped to Fill the 'Abyss of Leisure'" Made Possible by Forty-Hour Workweek

    by David Austin Walsh

    Credit: Wiki Commons.A new report on the state of the humanities in the United States reaffirms the importance of understanding our shared history as one of the cornerstones of democratic decision-making.The American Academy of Arts and Sciences released the comprehensive report of its Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences this week, and is presenting its recommendations to Congress on Wednesday.The Commission will emphasize the need to increase funding to the National Endowment of the Humanities (which has seen its budget decline nearly $17 million since 2010), as well as state humanities councils, and is calling for a humanities program similar to the proposed STEM Master Teacher Corps, which would provide career advancement and better pay for the top five percent of STEM teachers in the United States.The Long View

  • SOURCE: NYT
    6-5-13

    Arts and Sciences Academy defends leader’s honesty

    The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the prestigious 233-year-old scholarly society in Cambridge, Mass., said on Tuesday that it is standing behind its president, Leslie Cohen Berlowitz, after accusations that she had falsely claimed on at least two grant proposals to have a doctorate....The accusations, reported in The Boston Globe on Tuesday, sent shock waves through intellectual circles in Cambridge and beyond, along with speculation that a leader who has long weathered criticism about her sharp-elbowed management style might be out the door....Few ... associated with the academy were willing to speak on the record, though even some who spoke warmly of Ms. Berlowitz suggested that a deliberate attempt to inflate credentials would be unforgivable.“I have enjoyed a good working relationship with her for many years, and appreciate many of the things she has done for the academy,” David Hollinger, a historian at the University of California, Berkeley, and a fellow since 1997, said via e-mail. “But if it comes to be clearly proven that she has systematically deceived the academy, she should resign forthwith.”