CAA News Today

CAA has signed on to a statement issued by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) in response to US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s August 3 National Call to Action. In the statement, ACLS affirms the value of the humanities and humanistic social sciences and calls for continued public investment in higher education.

While acknowledging the importance of any efforts to strengthen accountability, affordability, and open inquiry, the ACLS statement expresses concern that recent federal actions have undermined research, teaching, and academic freedom, underscoring “…this administration’s open contempt for America’s world-renowned system of higher education.” The statement argues that public trust in higher education is best strengthened through support for the institutions that generate, preserve, and share knowledge, and defends the essential role of the humanities and humanistic social sciences in American education and democracy.

“Our world is one of rapid change and wicked problems, from climate change and public health to the challenge of new technologies, notably artificial intelligence. Secretary McMahon calls for academic programs that meet ‘urgent workforce needs’ and advance American security and economic interests. Many business leaders point out that a liberal arts education, which has the humanities and humanistic social sciences at its core, is the best preparation for grasping complex situations, handling change, understanding many different types of people, and communicating clearly… surely she [Secretary McMahon] knows that calling for ‘high-return’ degrees, as she does later in her memo, frequently serves as an excuse to close academic programs in the arts and humanities – despite studies showing their role in improving resilience and mental health.”

CAA stands in solidarity with ACLS and remains committed—in service to our mission—to championing higher education, scholarly inquiry, and the arts and humanities as vital foundations of an informed, engaged, and thriving society.

Read the full statement here.