Pomona College President David Oxtoby has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a prestigious policy research institution.
“I felt very honored,” Oxtoby wrote in an email to TSL. “The members of the Academy are distinguished in many fields of work, and it is a privilege to be part of this group. The historical connections (going back to Benjamin Franklin and George Washington) make this special as well.”
According to its website, the Academy seeks to “honor excellence by electing to membership men and women in a broad range of disciplines and professions.” It currently has over 4,000 active members in “mathematics, the physical and biological sciences, medicine, the social sciences and humanities, business, government, public affairs, and the arts.”
“The Academy holds regular meetings and from time to time is asked to provide advice on a range of subjects,” Oxtoby wrote. “For example, right now a committee is working on a report on the place of the humanities in higher education for the United States.”
Oxtoby was nominated by current members of the Academy. The final list of invitees is decided by selection committees in the various disciplines represented at the Academy.
Some of this year’s other inductees include household names such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, director Clint Eastwood, and philanthropist Melinda Gates.
An induction ceremony for the 220 new members will be held in early October in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the Academy has its headquarters, Oxtoby said.