Two University of Maryland faculty members have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. Michele J. Gelfand, Distinguished University Professor, psychology, and Frances E. Lee, distinguished scholar-teacher of government and politics, are among the more than 200 new members in Academy’s 239th class who are being recognized for their accomplishments in academia, business, government, and public affairs. Their election brings the total number of UMD faculty who are members of national academies to 58. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, and others who believed the new republic should honor exceptionally accomplished individuals and engage them in advancing the public good. According to the Academy, its dual mission remains essentially the same with honorees drawn from increasingly diverse fields and whose work focuses on the arts, democracy, education, global affairs, and science.
Gelfand and Lee join other distinguished individuals elected this year, including artist Mark Bradford, journalist James M. Fallows (The Atlantic) former First Lady Michelle Obama, business leader Charles H. Robbins (Cisco Systems) actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith, and many others to round out the cohort of more than 200 notable individuals. “One of the reasons to honor extraordinary achievement is because the pursuit of excellence is so often accompanied by disappointment and self-doubt,” said David W. Oxtoby, president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. “We are pleased to recognize the excellence of our new members, celebrate their compelling accomplishments, and invite them to join the Academy and contribute to its work.” The new class will be inducted at a ceremony in October 2019 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The full list of the newly elected members is available at www.amacad.org/newly-elected-members-2019.
This article originally appeared on UMD Right Now.
April 17, 2019 Prev Next |
Two University of Maryland Faculty Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
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