2023 Projects, Publications & Meetings of the Academy | American Academy of Arts and Sciences

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Projects in the Education program area examine the vital role that education plays in our nation and the world. Work in this area seeks to inform policy and practice in support of high-quality educational opportunities for all Americans. From advancing equitable educational outcomes to leveraging new developments in the learning sciences and digital technologies to understanding the vital role that public universities play as engines of economic growth, innovation, social mobility, and citizenship, projects in this area draw on scholars and practitioners from diverse fields to provide guidance and actionable solutions to policy-makers, higher education leaders, and philanthropists.

Project

The Higher Education Forum

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In early 2022, the Academy acquired The Forum for the Future of Higher Education, a collaboration of higher education leaders and scholars that was established in 1984. Renamed The Higher Education Forum at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Forum draws on the strengths of Academy Affiliates and members to provide leadership on pressing issues in higher education through an interdisciplinary and cross-sector approach.

The Higher Education Forum’s annual convening was held in Aspen, CO, on June 12–15, 2023. More than one hundred higher education experts and leaders, including university presidents, provosts, and academic deans from many of the Academy’s Affiliate institutions, engaged in discussions on topics that included the future of work, speech on campus and beyond, the changing political landscape, the health of our communities, artificial intelligence in our world, and maintaining diversity on campus.

The Higher Education Forum Advisory Committee

Joanne Berger-Sweeney
Trinity College

Mary Schmidt Campbell
formerly, Spelman College

Nancy Cantor
Rutgers University–Newark

Sean Decatur
American Museum of Natural History

John DeGioia
Georgetown University

Howard Gardner
Harvard University

Nicholas Lemann
Columbia University

Michael McPherson
formerly, Spencer Foundation

David W. Oxtoby
American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Francesca Purcell
Harvard Graduate School of Education

Marcelo Suárez-Orozco
University of Massachusetts Boston

Funders

Bank of America

Kaplan, Inc.

Lumina Foundation

Hilltop Securities

United Educators

TIAA

Project

Opportunities After High School

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The Opportunities After High School project, approved by the Academy’s Council and Board of Directors in April 2023, will identify effective responses that address some of the systemic failures that perpetuate inequality and challenge the ability of young people in America to succeed after high school, with close attention to those who have historically encountered financial and racial barriers to a quality education and economic opportunity. The project will examine student pathways after high school and recommend ways to increase student information and understanding about those opportunities to ensure they can choose, and succeed in, the path that best serves their needs and aspirations.

Project Chairs

Austin Beutner
Vision to Learn

Nancy Cantor
Rutgers University–Newark

Bridget Terry Long
Harvard University

Project Staff

Lywana Dorzilor
Program Coordinator for Education

Kimberlee Eberle-Sudré
Program Director for Education