"This moment of uncertainty for the English Department has led faculty members to ask questions and revisit what it means to study, read and write literature." bit.ly/43W7HxS

"A look at the helpful statistics provided by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences indicates that this latest crisis in humanities enrollments and degree completions is not like the previous fluctuations in our history, but more foundational." bit.ly/4nLVEKN

"Over the course of the past ten months, archives and museums have had to reconfigure their budgets, storage and processing capabilities and their ability to be available to the public. She said, “the whole process of knowledge production will slow down.”" bit.ly/4ojjv5x

"We are committing $1 million to the College of Humanities over the next few years. The endowment will fund scholarships to support humanities students on study abroad programs." Congratulations A-P! bit.ly/43cNoMu

Really interesting work on skill-building with humanities students at community colleges by JFF (bit.ly/4hFcoSH). It would be great to see similar programs at 4-year institutions.

"The framing of LLMs as preserving the lives of those we have lost distracts from the lost livelihoods, and worsened material conditions, of a generation of writers on whose work the technology of LLM feeds—and the loss of innumerable voices and the stories they won’t be able to tell" bit.ly/48Vv1iT

"According to an article in the Winter 2025 Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, almost half of U.S. college students change their major. This is your chance to ask a student what they had thought they would major in when they applied, and why they changed their minds" bit.ly/3X1JjXN

"The coursework and ideas at the heart of a humanities-based education provides leaders with the raw materials we use under pressure: judgment, ethics, story, listening, resilience and the craft of clear communication." bit.ly/4nsS7ko

"Taylor Swift may not have a Ph.D. in literature, but she is a teacher, and her work is a powerful reminder that the humanities are a valuable commodity and alive and well." bit.ly/4nwgP3w

Looking forward to a conversation about the state of the humanities with Tim Henderson, the Director of Humanities Tennessee. You can register and join the webinar at bit.ly/47xa6jC

"intellectual autonomy and a capacity for genuine self-examination are among the most precious of the goods that the humanities bring. And it is up to us to defend them." bit.ly/47eZpU1

"When these skills are coupled with STEM disciplines, they amplify creative problem-solving, foster a strong sense of social responsibility, and promote ethical decision-making." bit.ly/4quZ7jx

"A large chunk of work is problem solving, so we created these departments around problem solvers. Those departments were mostly non-STEM disciplines... people who can be more purposeful problem finders." bit.ly/49hBtR9

"Disciplines like history, philosophy and literature are powerful engines for developing the abilities employers value most. These are not "soft skills"; they are essential skills, such as critical thinking and complex problem-solving," bit.ly/4otMAuK

"If you are truly passionate about your field of study, you will find a career that will both make you happy and make you money. Whether that is a STEM or a humanities degree, your major should be your passion and make you happy." bit.ly/47EokAr

“Because a humanities degree is not tailored to a specific employment pathway, it enables graduates to excel in a wide range of careers. In a job market that is rapidly evolving, some business leaders argue that everyone would benefit from the breadth of a humanities education” bit.ly/47CZdy0

Harvard: "slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots ... for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for the next two years.... The History department will be admitting five students each year for the next two years, down from 13 admitted students last year" bit.ly/4hnMxhU

"If we measure success only in salaries and job titles, we ignore the long history of what the humanities aim to cultivate. They are the frameworks we use to understand conflict, to find meaning and to build empathy. In that sense, waiting isn’t a burden. It’s the entire point." bit.ly/4oBVxT3

JAMA study "found that 9- to 13-year-olds with rising levels of social media exposure performed poorer on reading, memory, and vocabulary tests compared with their peers who used little to no social media." bit.ly/3L5NkI2

"Faculty at the University of Texas at Austin fear entire academic departments may be on the chopping block after the university quietly appointed a committee charged with studying the restructuring of its liberal arts programs...none from the departments where cuts are feared." bit.ly/43rfyDt

"The Federation has teamed up with the Mellon Foundation to celebrate "Humanities Councils Week" from October 20-24. Follow the Mellon Foundation and the Federation on social media to see stories about humanities councils and the vital work they do all week long.": bit.ly/4qlyYDD

"recent graduates with degrees in the arts and humanities had lower starting salaries, with a median of $45,000, but rocketed past those in education to earn a median of $69,000 for the bulk of their working lives." bit.ly/4nWSKnb

“The percentage of high school students who report using GenAI tools for schoolwork is growing, increasing from 79% to 84% between January and May 2025.” bit.ly/43jxvDT

"Students who attended any college or university generated an estimated total of $73.4 billion in additional annual earnings relative to those of the typical high school graduate, even after accounting for the amount students invested in their education." bit.ly/479yzeR

Now Brown: "The Departments of Egyptology and Assyriology, Classics, Anthropology, French and Francophone Studies, German Studies and Italian Studies will not admit first-year Ph.D. students for the 2026-27 academic year" bit.ly/478o0bN

"The Humanities Edge offers year round opportunities for the arts and humanities ranging from research, internship, networking, mentorship, and...gives students the chance to find out what the arts and humanities could really provide for them long term" bit.ly/4nd2SqV

"we must remember that the skills that a humanities education cultivates are, in fact, highly valued. Decoupling these skills from the humanities disciplines that foster them has, over time, submerged this important connection." bit.ly/4qb8oNv

"Polk State College has permanently canceled its Introduction to African-American Studies course, saying it violated state law." bit.ly/4qcL8yw

"the humanities can survive. In fact, they can thrive. Humanities should be indispensable to 21st-century higher education, and data shows that they’re certainly crucial to the workforce.": bit.ly/3W84hE7

"Humanities majors in Minnesota are as likely to be employed as are engineering or business majors, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities Indicators Project. And humanities BAs earn 64% more than workers with only a high school diploma." bit.ly/4he7jjU

"it ignores the fact that many graduates in the humanities go on to successful careers in law, education, public service, and nonprofit fields that may not pay extravagantly but are vital to the health of our culture and communities." bit.ly/4hhwj9V

Unfortunately, new degree data for 2024 is out, and offers more bad news for the #humanities. Humanities bachelor's degrees fell 2.1% from the year before, and the field fell to just 8.4% of the total (from almost 15% twenty years earlier). bit.ly/46K1GX4

“Upon moving here and figuring out what I want to do, I came to realize what history means... I didn’t realize how many answers we can find today from studying history. I don’t think generally people think about history that way.” bit.ly/4q5vvZO

"While teaching can be a fulfilling and lucrative career, there is so much more out there for students holding humanities and arts degrees, and it is unrealistic for every humanities major to limit themselves to just one career path." bit.ly/3IZjzYH

To better reflect the expansive conception of the humanities represented in the Indicators, we have revised our definition of the field. Check it out at bit.ly/46IK26a and let me know what you think.

“the students reported that they were very satisfied with the [medical humanities] course they took, which led them to hone important skills and strategies for dealing with patients and colleagues.” bit.ly/4nCMl0l

"colleges are finding innovative ways to ensure the liberal arts remain relevant and integrated into students’ experiences. Schools are launching classics programs, more students are adding a liberal arts-related double major or minor" bit.ly/48CG1BF

"the way Humanities Tennessee was saved, with the entire community working together to save it, has laid the groundwork for surviving the vicissitudes of the future." bit.ly/42uNBu3

“Prioritising a narrow set of disciplines could mean we lose talented arts, humanities and social sciences graduates who help drive innovation and tackle huge societal challenges. Student choice is vital.” bit.ly/3KAReIQ

"Trump’s attack on the humanities has directly affected Harvard where we’ve lost $360,000 worth of federal grants for humanities scholarship." bit.ly/3Kuh6WS

"He suggested that “soft skills” should be called “essential skills” because they are important both interpersonally and in the workplace." bit.ly/4onhqFB

"making it the humanities course with the highest enrollment over that period." bit.ly/4pSRHWX

"A $25 million donation from the Carlos Alvarez Foundation...will implement an endowed dean position, endowed professorships, humanities scholarships and provide new research and internship opportunities" bit.ly/48NMwBn

"The best way to get audiences to care about the humanities is by making humanities content they like. Early testing shows how engaging with videos that show the practice of the humanities can move some audiences to support the humanities." bit.ly/3KuZ32K

"Wisconsin Humanities has launched a statewide listening tour aimed at rebuilding and reimagining a future for the humanities in Wisconsin." bit.ly/4gSmQWs

Humanities taking a big hit at Syracuse University, as they pause admissions for 20 majors, including African American, Middle East, and Jewish studies; classics; Digital Humanities; religion; and French, German, Italian, and Russian languages. bit.ly/48cl5kE

“the work of the National Council on the Humanities is important to the President and his vision for the country. The President is hoping to place members on the board who align more closely with his vision.” bit.ly/46vLTuU

"The White House on Wednesday abruptly terminated a large share of the council members advising the National Endowment for the Humanities, retaining only four Trump appointees" bit.ly/46zIxHe

“An arts degree is a good proposition compared to a trade certificate... There would have to be a dramatic oversupply of persons with an arts degree to remove the premium associated with the degree.” bit.ly/3KtGQ5D

"humanities professors discussed how they have adapted their classrooms to fit the new world of ChatGPT. Some professors are outright banning AI, turning assessments that used to be papers into in-class exams. Others are trying to work alongside AI" bit.ly/4gSAU23