ACLS Community Message for November 2025
Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to the work of connecting people and ideas—helping communities move from insight to action. Working with learned societies has shown me that leadership in the humanities and social sciences depends as much on community as on expertise. Our societies weave together the people, practices, and traditions that keep scholarship vibrant, sustaining journals, mentoring networks, and conferences that carry ideas across generations. In moments of uncertainty, they remain steady not because they stand apart, but because they move together.
When society leaders gather, something remarkable happens. Conversations spark, ideas connect, and even the most complex challenges start to feel manageable when they’re shared.
That spirit was fully alive at our Fall 2025 CEO Meeting in Seattle, where leaders shared both the challenges and creativity shaping this moment. They spoke about how their societies are evolving—developing new ways to engage members, clarifying missions to reflect the expanding scope of scholarship and the shifting needs of scholars, and strengthening the shared understanding that unites boards, executives, and volunteers.
One powerful example came from the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP), which will launch The SHARPIES: A Global Book History Festival in July 2026. Recognizing that in-person conferences aren’t always accessible for members due to financial, sustainability, or logistical barriers, SHARP has reimagined its annual gathering as an expansive online festival. Over three days and across time zones, The SHARPIES will feature about 20 events—ranging from keynote presentations and author talks to interactive discussions, themed conversations, and opportunities to connect with editors and publishers. Rather than replicating an in-person conference, SHARP has embraced the spirit of a true festival—one that celebrates connection, creativity, and the global reach of its field.
The Society for American Music (SAM) recently launched Sounding the Nation at 250, an outreach initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The project celebrates the nation’s diverse musical and artistic legacies while envisioning a future where the arts continue to foster connection, creativity, and community. Members at all career stages are invited to propose public lectures, lecture-recitals, or exhibits to engage local audiences with research on American music, with the aim of sponsoring at least one event in every state. In response to insights from its recent strategic-planning process, SAM also launched the President’s Forum webinar series to create year-round opportunities for member connection, with the first session on navigating challenging conversations in academic settings
That same collaborative spirit guides how ACLS supports connection across our federation, helping society leaders and delegates strengthen their communities and their work. Through the Delegate Forums, which will continue throughout the academic year, delegates from ACLS member societies engage across disciplines to surface shared challenges and connect to informational resources that can be shared and adapted across societies. The newly launched ACLS Delegates Forum Online Platform extends these conversations by curating materials across fields—on topics such as academic freedom, doctoral education reform, and other pressing areas in academia—and offering a space where societies can exchange practices, diffuse insights, and collaborate in addressing common challenges.
Each time we convene, we affirm that leadership in our fields is not a solitary act—it’s a shared endeavor, powered by people who believe that scholarship and community thrive best together.
Our commitment to fostering these networks extends through more than 80 CEO Support Spaces hosted this year—steady points of connection where executive directors can exchange ideas, share strategies, and support one another through the evolving work of leadership. This winter, that rhythm of engagement continues with the CEO Board Leadership Series, which brings board members and executives from across societies together for discussion-based learning and shared insight on governance, communication, and mission alignment.
ACLS created space during the Fall 2025 CEO Meeting for executive directors to explore how societies can contribute to the future of doctoral education through the Doctoral Futures initiative. Participants in the Intention Foundry (IF) Extended Engagement Microgrants program also convened in dedicated working sessions to develop proposals that advance equity, justice, and well-being for scholars who disproportionately experience precarity in their fields.
Through our federated partnership with BoardSource, ACLS is extending access to deeply respected governance resources and expert materials—now available to all member society leaders and their board members. Alongside these resources, new data-visualization, AI, and storytelling workshops will help societies communicate their impact more effectively, translating complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives for members, funders, and the public.
As we continue to think about connection and community, we are thrilled to welcome a new member to our federation: the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD). Founded in 2000, ASWAD represents international scholars committed to deepening understanding of Africa and the African Diaspora. ASWAD’s addition is both a celebration and a reminder: each new society strengthens the web of relationships that defines our work, broadening the conversations that shape the future of the humanities and social sciences.
Connection builds trust. Trust fuels collaboration, and collaboration drives the innovation that will sustain the humanities and social sciences across times of challenge and change. Each time we convene, we affirm that leadership in our fields is not a solitary act—it’s a shared endeavor, powered by people who believe that scholarship and community thrive best together.
Camilo Villalpando
ACLS Director of Member Society Relations