American Council of Learned Societies

We call for the immediate rejection of the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”...No institution that is committed to the free pursuit of knowledge should submit to the degradation of autonomy and academic freedom contained in it. -ACLS Statement Regarding White House “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

ACLS has released a statement regarding the White House “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”: bit.ly/3IviMig

August 13, 2025 Advocacy Update ACLS President Joy Connolly shares an update on assaults on higher education and public history, and how ACLS is responding.

Read more: www.acls.org/news/august-...

ACLS President Joy Connolly on free speech on campus:

"As a nation, we seem to have forgotten that American universities’ role as energetic hosts of political controversy is older than the United States itself."

Text graphic: The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars. Virtual information session: October 15 @ 11 am EST. Applications due January 27, 2026, 9 PM EST.

Join our Virtual Information Session for the 2026 Buddhism Public Scholars Fellowship on October 15! This session will provide an overview of the hosting organizations and job descriptions, eligibility requirements, and evaluation criteria. Register here: https://bit.ly/4nXgVBx

British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 - University of London Press At a time when working-class writing is gaining long-overdue recognition and radical ideas may be more important than ever, this timely collection of eighteen essays examines the powerful intersection...

The latest #OA book supported by the Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award is now available!

"British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700" (@uolpress.bsky.social) is a collection of essays examining the intersection of British working-class and radical writing: bit.ly/4pRkSK4

Na'puti receives funding for Indigenous research and connections with the canoe at UCI Na'puti receives funding for Indigenous research and connections with the canoe at UCI You are here: Social Sciences News & Events News 2025 Na'puti receives funding for Indigenous research and connections with the canoe at ...

At UC Irvine, a 1960s Samoan canoe has become the catalyst for a richly layered investigation into migration and ecological knowledge, led by Tiara Na’puti and supported by an ACLS grant: https://bit.ly/4h2Us49

Innovation in Action Explore stories of institutional, programmatic, and curricular change taking place at colleges and universities across the US.

How are colleges and universities advancing the humanities and social sciences in bold, new ways?

Our #InnovationInAction series spotlights real stories of change on campuses nationwide: bit.ly/4aQzzVE

Text graphic: "Comprehensive global and regional expertise is now more crucial than ever for our nation’s wellbeing today and in the future. Discontinuing funding undermines long-standing national security imperatives, putting America’s strength and competitiveness at risk." -CIE letter to Secretary Linda McMahon

ACLS has signed on to a Coalition for International Education letter calling to reverse the elimination of future funding for HEA-Title VI and Fulbright Hays and reinstate intended Congressional funding: bit.ly/4mFizqE

In the latest AAR Weekly Briefing, AAR Executive Director Claudia Schippert shares thoughts on staying upright in an upside-down world and makes the case for higher education in a hostile climate. mailchi.mp/aarweb/advoc...

Text graphic reads Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art. Deadline: October 29, 2025, 9 PM EDT. Apply now.

Do you study the visual art of the United States? Apply for a Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in #AmericanArt! These awards of $42K support graduate students at any stage of PhD dissertation research and writing. Deadline 9PM ET October 29: bit.ly/31YOwCY

#humanities #funding #arthistory

California colleges lost millions in humanities purge. Their projects might not recover Local history projects are some of the biggest casualties as 19 California campuses are missing over $5.2 million in canceled federal grants.

"California colleges and universities are still missing over $5 million worth of humanities grants, despite one federal district court order to return funds to University of California campuses."

Read more from @laist.com on the impact of millions of dollars lost in the humanities: bit.ly/4gHQdKV

Na'puti receives funding for Indigenous research and connections with the canoe at UCI

With @acls1919.bsky.social grant funding, @ucirvine.bsky.social's Tiara Na’puti is tracing the history of a Samoan canoe on display in Social Sciences Tower to bring attention to the complex past and present of Indigenous Pacific Islanders in Southern California

Doctoral Futures Featured in Inside Higher Ed Doctoral Futures is featured in an Inside Higher Ed article on interdisciplinary approaches to reimagining the humanities PhD.

The Doctoral Futures initiative is featured in a new @insidehighered.com article on reimaging humanities PhD programs: bit.ly/4mykcGw

At the 2025 ACLS Annual Meeting, ACLS President Joy Connolly unveiled our new Strategic Framework: Bold Action For Strength and Growth.

"We aim to gather and increase resources for humanistic knowledge in the forms of community-building, the sharing of strategies and best practices, and funding."

British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 - University of London Press At a time when working-class writing is gaining long-overdue recognition and radical ideas may be more important than ever, this timely collection of eighteen essays examines the powerful intersection...

Out today: British Working-Class and Radical Writing Since 1700 edited by John Goodridge & @adambridgen.bsky.social.

This book is published #OpenAccess, with funding from @acls1919.bsky.social 👏

'Workers, Radicals, Environmentalists and Feminists, Unite!'

uolpress.co.uk/book/british...

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars Buddhism Public Scholars use their expertise to bolster the capacity of host organizations in the area of Buddhist art and thought.

Apply by Jan. 27 to The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars, placing early-career scholars in positions with @lionsroar.com, @tricyclemag.bsky.social, @artsmia.bsky.social, The Courtauld Institute of Art, & the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art: www.acls.org/BuddhismPublicScholars

Today kicks off the 2025 GRC Fall Webinar Series!

Join us from 1–2 p.m. ET as Nike Nivar Ortiz from @acls1919.bsky.social shares insights on fellowships and grants in the humanities and social sciences.

Register: tinyurl.com/pfnbtf9m

#HigherEd #Grants #FundingOpportunities

Path to Open stacked bar chart showing title growth: 100 (2023), 400 (2024), 700 (2025), then 1,000 each year 2026–2028. Light gray = new titles for participants, red = backlist for participants, black = open access; share of open access increases, reaching all 1,000 by 2028.

In January 2026, the first 100 Path to Open books will flip to open access. By the end of 2026, 1,000 titles will be on the path. 📖

Learn how libraries and presses are working with JSTOR to make it happen, and what it means for authors, students, and librarians: https://bit.ly/426cwUA

When the Bronx Burned, Tenants Died and Landlords Got Rich

New book alert! "Born in Flames" by @benchansfield.bsky.social F'20, F'22 is reviewed in @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/b...

Congratulations, Bench!

SBL Establishes the Doctoral Futures Initiative in Partnership with Peer Organizations - Society of Biblical Literature 2025 has seen a stream of unprecedented attacks on higher education that have been particularly destructive to the humanities and social sciences.

The Doctoral Futures Project sponsored by the ACLS with support from SBL started its work. SBL has lead responsibilities for the Pathways and Inclusion Committee that explores innovations in preparation and admissions practices for humanities PhDs.

Photos of past ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellows and Grantees with text ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellowships & Grants. Apply by November 5, 2025, 9 PM EST.

Calling HBCU faculty in the humanities and social sciences! Apply now to the ACLS HBCU Faculty Fellowship and Grant Program, with grants up to $10K and fellowships up to $50K. Apply by Nov. 5, 9 PM ET: https://bit.ly/45tc8QX

Webinar Announcement: Biblical Public Scholars(hip) in Perilous Times - Society of Biblical Literature UPDATE SEPTEMBER 9: Registration is now open for the Biblical Public Scholars(hip) in Perilous Times Webinar. Visit the registration page to learn more.

All are invited to Biblical Public Scholars(hip) in Perilous Times, a webinar that explores shared concern of the increasing vulnerability of biblical scholars who engage in public scholarship. Register Today! buff.ly/jzsmwpT.

The deadline for the @acls1919.bsky.social Marwan M. and Ute Kraidy Centennial Fellowship in the Study of the Arab World and Latin America is in one week!

Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe ACLS partners with the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia to convene the Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe.

If you are a scholar of the Balkans, apply to this great two-week residency program in Bulgaria organized by @acls1919.bsky.social and Centre for Advanced Study Sofia. I was lucky to be part of the inaugural cohort in 2023. Very productive and sustaining two weeks.

White text on a magenta background. Headline text at top introduces the Job Posting for the Executive Director of the Bibliographical Society of America. Paragraph text at the bottom provides a brief overview of the executive director's role in the humanistic society.

Magenta text on a white background, with more details about the job description and instructions to see link in bio for more details and application instructions.

📢We are now accepting applications for the position of Executive Director of the Bibliographical Society of America.

View the full job posting📝, including application instructions, at the link below. Please share with your networks!

🔗https://bibsocamer.org/news/job-posting-bsa-executive-director

ACLS Fellowships, supporting research in the humanities and social sciences. Apply by Sept. 25, 9 PM EDT.

One week left to apply! ACLS Fellowships of up to $60K are open to scholars of all career stages and all fields of the humanities and social sciences. Applications are due next Thursday, Sept. 25, 9PM ET: https://bit.ly/3Q0Oi5I

Eric Hayot and Paula Krebs: It's not about Palestine, DEI or trans athletes We are facing a defunding of knowledge production in this country. This isn’t only a problem for academia. Many local economies, like Pittsburgh’s,...

Higher ed drives economic growth and innovation, and it’s under attack. Read the new op-ed from @paulakrebs.bsky.social‬ and @ehayot.bsky.social‬ and tell your legislators that research, teaching, and innovation are important to you and your community. www.post-gazette.com/opinion/gues...

2026 Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe Now Accepting Applications ACLS and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia will convene leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a residency in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

Applications are now open for the 2026 Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe!

ACLS and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia will convene leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a residency in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria June 3-19: bit.ly/3Ip2Mhz

Congratulations to @cathyndavidson.bsky.social G'86, F'95 on being awarded the 2025 Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Higher Education!

"She is known for translating research into action—and for helping institutions evolve to meet the needs of all students."

mcgrawprize.com/news-events/...

Member Societies Come Together for 2025 Leadership Seminar in Philadelphia Day long interactive workshop helps society executive and board leaders to build stronger bonds.

Last week, leaders of our member societies came together for a day of collaboration, reflection, and learning in Philadelphia. Through interactive exercises, they explored how to strengthen governance practices, build resilience in turbulent times, better serve members: https://bit.ly/3VdiNtS