February 3, 2009  

MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Karoff,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
pkaroff@amacad.org; (617) 576-5043
Tracy Schario, The George Washington University
tschario@gwu.edu; (202) 994-3566

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

GW TO HOST SYMPOSIUM ON THE HUMANITIES IN A CIVIL SOCIETY
MAR. 9, 2009

EVENT:  

New and increasingly complex challenges--political, cultural, technological, and financial--are profoundly altering conditions for the humanities in the United States. Speakers will examine the significance of the humanities to our national culture and policies to ensure their health in the 21st century. The symposium coincides with publication by the American Academy of the Humanities Indicators (www.HumanitiesIndicators.org), the first comprehensive data set about the humanities in America, and a special issue of the Academy's journal Daedalus on the humanities. The event is sponsored by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Confirmed speakers include David Souter, associate justice, United States Supreme Court; Patricia Q. Stonesifer, senior advisor to the trustees, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; chair of the Board of Regents, Smithsonian Institution; Don Michael Randel, president, The Mellon Foundation; and Edward L. Ayers, president, University of Richmond. Dr. Steven Knapp, president of The George Washington University, will deliver opening remarks.

WHEN:  

Monday, March 9, 2009, 5 - 7 p.m.

WHERE: 

The George Washington University
Media and Public Affairs Building 
Jack Morton Auditorium
805 21st Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro Station (Orange and Blue lines)

TICKETS: 

The symposium is an invitation-only event.

MEDIA: 

Media should RSVP directly to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at (617) 576-5043.

BACKGROUND:

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. Current Academy research focuses on science and global security, social policy, the humanities and culture, and education. With headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., the Academy's work is advanced by its 4,600 elected members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs from around the world.

The University has several faculty who are members of national academies. Three faculty are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Alison Spense Brooks, professor of Anthropology; James Horton, Benjamin Banneker Professor Emeritus of American Studies and of History; and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service. Six GW faculty are members of the Institute of Medicine: Jordan J. Cohen, professor of medicine and public health; Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FAAP, Walter G. Ross Professor, chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, and professor of global health; Amitai Etzioni, University Professor; Vanessa Northington Gamble, University Professor of Medical Humanities; Frederick K. Goodwin, research professor; and Fitzhugh Mullan, Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy. 

For more information about the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, visit: http://www.amacad.org.

For more news about The George Washington University, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

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