What Counts: MacArthur Fellows Reflect on Academic Reward Structures
Published: January 9, 2024
On Tuesday, September 12, and Monday, October 2, 2023, ACLS presented “What Counts: MacArthur Fellows Reflect on Academic Reward Structures,” a public panel series examining promotion and tenure structures for humanities and interpretive social sciences faculty in higher education today. Each panel featured three MacArthur Fellows discussing how their distinctive approaches to scholarship did or did not fit the “rules of the game” for career advancement in humanistic fields. The series was supported by an X-Grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s MacArthur Fellows Program.
Part One: September 12, 2023
Moderated by ACLS President Joy Connolly, featuring:
Monica M. Martinez, University of Texas at Austin, 2021 MacArthur Foundation Fellow
Natalia Molina, University of Southern California, 2020 MacArthur Foundation Fellow
Dimitri Nakassis, University of Colorado Boulder, 2015 MacArthur Foundation Fellow
Part Two: October 2, 2023
Moderated by ACLS Vice President and Chief Operating Officer James Shulman, featuring:
P. Gabrielle Foreman, Pennsylvania State University, 2022 MacArthur Foundation Fellow
Kellie Jones, Columbia University, 2016 MacArthur Foundation Fellow, 1994 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art
Peter N. Miller, American Academy in Rome, 1998 MacArthur Foundation Fellow
A virtual discussion featuring Luce Design Workshop participants who developed practical solutions to the challenges we face, from declining undergraduate enrollments to faculty diversification
In December 2020, ACLS presented a candid conversation exploring the history, current state, and solutions addressing humanities fields that, despite years of institutional efforts in diversity, remain mostly white and male.
On Monday, May 9, 2022, the American Council of Learned Societies presented “A Healthy Ecosystem for Humanities Scholarship: The Evolving Role of Open Access,” a virtual panel discussion.
On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, the American Council of Learned Societies hosted “Beyond the Academy: Pathways to Non-Academic Careers for PhDs,” a virtual conversation among three leaders of major organizations about the concrete paths they took in their careers outside of academia.