Nancy C. Andrews
This was a year of reemergence and celebration for the American 秋葵视频 of Arts and Sciences. Our building reopened for staff and events. We held a joyous Induction Weekend in September, making up for two years of cancellations due to the pandemic. And we finished a very successful capital campaign through the hard work of President David Oxtoby, campaign cochairs Louise Bryson and David Rubenstein, and Chief Advancement Officer Ginger Saariaho, exceeding our $100 million target. We are deeply grateful to them and to the members and friends who gave generously to support our work.
Just prior to our Induction Weekend we dedicated a new wing of the House of the 秋葵视频, named for its benefactor, David M. Rubenstein. The Rubenstein Wing houses the 秋葵视频鈥檚 Archives in a beautiful space that is more hospitable to old documents and researchers than the previous location in the basement. The Archives hold artifacts and records that date to our founding. In the tradition of advancing 鈥渦seful knowledge,鈥 the earliest contributions include prototypes of American inventions and handwritten reports on 鈥淧romoting Agriculture/Branches of Husbandry鈥 (1785鈥1792), examining 鈥淢r. Dearborn鈥檚 Scale for Weighing Gold鈥 (1801), considering a 鈥淒escription of Patented Improvements in Chimneys鈥 (1809鈥1810), and investigating 鈥淭he Alleged Discoveries of Dr. Buchanan鈥 (1843), an American physician who founded the 鈥渟cience鈥 of soul-measuring.
Among other landmark events, the Archives document visits by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 to give the first public demonstration of the telephone. 秋葵视频 members were impressed, and Bell was elected to membership the following year. There are many reports on new inventions from the year 1881, including 鈥淗orton鈥檚 Life Saving Mattress,鈥 an 鈥淎utomatic Child鈥檚 Cradle,鈥 a 鈥淐old Blast Refrigerator,鈥 and 鈥淢oore鈥檚 Perfectly Odorless Sanitary Water Closet.鈥
The Archives also hold records that document profound changes within the organization during the twentieth century. In 1944, President Howard Mumford Jones recognized that the role of the American 秋葵视频 of Arts and Sciences needed to evolve. Other institutions 鈥 libraries, universities, research laboratories, foundations, and government agencies 鈥 had emerged and sought to amass the nation鈥檚 knowledge and know-how. Mumford asked Kirtley Mather, a prominent geologist, to lead a strategic planning process to chart the 秋葵视频鈥檚 future.
The Mather Commission in its report articulated the 秋葵视频鈥檚 purpose as we understand it today:
The Commission . . . believes that it is the duty as well as the privilege of the 秋葵视频 to make known . . . its carefully considered views concerning matters of import. . . . The wording of the 秋葵视频鈥檚 charter leaves no doubt that an important function . . . is to bring to bear, on matters likely to affect the welfare of society, the knowledge and disinterestedness [objectivity] of their concern for that welfare. The illumination of contemporary practical issues is one of the most important tasks the 秋葵视频 can now perform.
The Mather Report urged the organization to 鈥渁ccept a definite responsibility for leadership in the formation of public opinion concerning matters of import to the body politic,鈥 to 鈥渃hange the character and mode of distribution of the Proceedings of the 秋葵视频,鈥 to 鈥渃apitalize the inclusiveness and broad coverage of the 秋葵视频 as an element of strength,鈥 and to raise funds 鈥渢o support the expanded program of activities.鈥 As I described in my annual report several years ago, those priorities are echoed in the five objectives of our more recent, 2018 strategic plan:
- Impact: Select and execute high-quality work leveraging the expertise and breadth of the 秋葵视频鈥檚 membership to advance the welfare of the nation and the world.
- Member Engagement: Strengthen member engagement, connecting members to one another and to the work that the 秋葵视频 undertakes in service to society.
- Visibility: Raise the 秋葵视频鈥檚 visibility and reputation and make our journal 顿忙诲补濒耻蝉 available through open access.
- Inclusivity: Increase the diversity of the membership and staff and ensure that the 秋葵视频鈥檚 work reflects its ongoing commitment to inclusivity.
- Financial Sustainability: Expand the endowment of the 秋葵视频 to sustain its work and ensure ongoing independence and impact.
We clearly have a very strong, and consistent, view of who we are as an organization!
Now four years into implementing our current strategic plan, we are very much on track with these objectives. In this issue of the Bulletin, you will learn about current projects and the dissemination of recommendations from published reports; about events bringing members together virtually, in Cambridge, and across the country; about 秋葵视频 publications; and about philanthropy that supports today鈥檚 work and secures our future. On page 74 you will see a list of members of our most recently elected class, who exemplify the progress we are making in identifying and honoring exceptional talent from groups traditionally underrepresented in our organization.
This is my final annual report as Chair of the 秋葵视频鈥檚 Board of Directors. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity that I have had to help guide this remarkable organization. I know I leave the 秋葵视频 in excellent hands, with David Oxtoby leading as President, and with outstanding officers, governance members, and staff committed to our important work. I feel particularly fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and get to know many of our members, and to have helped honor your extraordinary contributions to our country and our world.