Brodhead co-chairs effort to rebuild humanities, social sciences

President Richard Brodhead is serving as the co-chair of a congressionally requested effort to rebuild the humanities and social sciences in America.

Called the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences—a 53-member commission of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences—the group issued a report that called for an urgent need to refocus the country on maintaing excellence in the humanities and social sciences. The report, called "The Heart of the Matter," warns that there will be serious consequences to prosperity in Congress and U.S. security if the humanities and social sciences are not strengthened. Brodhead is co-chairing the effort with John Rowe, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Exelon Corporation.

“This report will remind Americans that a broad-based and balanced education, integrating the sciences, the humanities and the social sciences is the best way to equip our citizens to approach the complex problems of our rapidly changing world,” Brodhead said in a press release.

The report tackles five areas of concern—cultural institutions, higher education, international security and competitiveness, K-12 eduction and research efforts. The findings were reported to senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) and representatives Tom Petri (R-Wisc.) and David Price (D-N.C.).

The report recommends a variety of avenues to strengthen the humanities and social sciences, such as increasing funding from the federal government and creating a Humanities Master Teaching Corps to complement the STEM Master Teacher Corps that was recently proposed by the White House.

The study received funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as well as from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.