On October 14, more than 110 new Fellows from around the country and the world gathered at the American Çï¿ûÊÓƵ's Cambridge House to take part in an elegant and intellectually vibrant Induction Ceremony.
At the daylong program, Çï¿ûÊÓƵ officers and current Fellows welcomed this year's diverse class of scholars, scientists, civic leaders, writers, and
businesspeople, and introduced them to the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ's 220-year history and ambitious roster of ongoing studies and projects. After congratulating the new inductees, Vice President Patricia Albjerg Graham (Harvard University) called on them to help the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ continue its tradition of conducting interdisciplinary, pathbreaking studies and "identifying and exploring critical social and intellectual issues, even before their importance is widely recognized."
After Graham and Secretary Emilio Bizzi (MIT) welcomed the new Fellows at the afternoon program, Communications Secretary Leon Eisenberg (Harvard) traced the history of the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ seal, Stated Meetings and Communications. Adding her greetings, Executive Officer Leslie Berlowitz provided new Fellows with an overview of the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ today. She described the three major project areas: Science, Security and International Cooperation; Humanities and Culture; and Children, Higher Education and Social Policy. Çï¿ûÊÓƵ projects focus on "complex, long-range issues that have no easy solutions," she explained, "and they address these challenges by bringing together scholars and policymakers who combine theoretical analysis with practical recommendations for action."
Several Fellows gave new members a glimpse into a range of current Çï¿ûÊÓƵ studies and projects. Patricia Meyer Spacks (University of Virginia) spoke about the rationale for a multipronged Çï¿ûÊÓƵ project that will "confront the central challenges facing the humanities" by developing and communicating a better understanding of the vital role they play in American life. Population biologist Joel Cohen (Rockefeller and Columbia Universities) discussed a proposed project that would investigate the premise that "educating well all children from the age of 6 to 16 would add value to their lives and do much to address the interacting problems of population, economics, the environment and culture." Matthew Meselson (Harvard) briefed new members about Çï¿ûÊÓƵ work on international law and biological and chemical arms control. "Biological weapons are truly different from earlier weapons systems because they can directly change what it means to be human," he suggested. The presentations were followed by a lively discussion with new Fellows.
After these briefings, inductees attended a late afternoon concert by the Boston Trio, the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ's chamber ensemble in residence. Fellow Jerrold Meinwald (Cornell University) accompanied the Trio, on flute, for a performance of Bach's Trio Sonata in D minor.
During the evening Induction Ceremony, each of the 110 new Fellows came to the stage to sign the Member's Book and be greeted by officers of the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ. Current Fellows representing each of the five Classes also welcomed the inductees. Greeters for each class were, for Class I, Charles Peskin (New York University); for Class II, Joel Cohen (Rockefeller and Columbia Universities); for Class III, Orlando Patterson (Harvard University); for Class IV, Patricia Meyer Spacks (University of Virginia); and for Class V, Richard Meserve (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission).
At the 1837th Stated Meeting that followed the ceremony, representatives of each Class addressed fellow inductees, current Çï¿ûÊÓƵ members, and guests about the challenges facing the world and the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ. Their presentations showcased the enormous intellectual range that characterizes this class of new Fellows—and the membership of the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ as a whole:
- Wendy Freedman, Carnegie Institution of Washington, representing Mathematics and the Physical Sciences (Class I), spoke about the enormous changes that have taken place in our understanding of cosmology, and the profound cosmological questions that remain unanswered at the dawn of a new century;
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ecologist Hal Caswell, from the Biological Sciences (Class II), painted a stark picture of the sharply increasing rate of species extinction;
- From the Social Sciences (Class III), Yale Law Professor, and Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Harold Hongju Koh traced the recent "globalization of human freedom" and suggested that the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ can draw on its broad-based membership to support the new institutions that are being built to strengthen democracy in countries throughout the world;
- Speaking for the Humanities and Arts (Class IV), novelist Allan Gurganus delivered a playful sermon in which he reminded audience members that we are all animals, "a "little shaggy," and that in the "mind-body split, the mind is, well, a passenger."
- Rockefeller Foundation President Gordon Conway, representing Public Affairs, Business, and Administration (Class V), drew from his experience supporting overseas development in poor nations to explain that sustained economic growth requires "partnerships between the government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations." He added that "the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ is especially effective at creating partnerships."
At the conclusion of this Stated Meeting, poets and new Fellows Heather McHugh (University of Washington, Seattle) and Paul Muldoon (Princeton University) read from their works, Qua Qua Qua and Anonymous: Myself and Pangur, respectively.
For more information please call Phyllis Bendell at (617) 576-5047 or email her at pbendell@amacad.org.