California State University Chancellor Mildred García has been elected to the
American Academy of Arts & Sciences, joining an elite group of luminaries from around the country.
García was among 250 individuals chosen this year to join the Academy, a prestigious research and policy organization, in recognition of their achievements in a variety of disciplines. She was included in the “Leadership, Policy and Communications" category for her educational and academic leadership.
“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit and private sectors for their accomplishments and for the curiosity, creativity and courage required to reach new heights," said David Oxtoby, president of the Academy, in announcing this year's inductees. “We invite these exceptional individuals to join in the Academy's work to address serious challenges and advance the common good."
In addition to García, this year's star-studded list includes actor, producer and director George Clooney; Apple, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook; and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri.
“It is a great and profoundly humbling honor to be recognized by the Academy and to serve alongside so many extraordinarily accomplished individuals," said García. “I look forward to helping the Academy continue to advance its important work, especially in the area of increasing educational opportunities for all."
García and her fellow nominees will be honored at a formal induction ceremony in Cambridge, Mass., in September.
Academy Dates Back To 1700s
The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is committed to multidisciplinary, nonpartisan research that engages experts in various fields and professions to provide pragmatic solutions for complex challenges.
Founded in 1780 in the midst of revolution—by John Adams, John Hancock and others—the Academy's membership and work have changed greatly over the centuries while remaining faithful to a charter founded on ideals that “celebrate the life of the mind, the importance of knowledge and the belief that the arts and sciences are necessary to the interest, honor, dignity and happiness of a free, independent and virtuous people."
The 2024 inductees join Academy members elected throughout the centuries including Benjamin Franklin (elected 1781) and Alexander Hamilton (1791) in the eighteenth century; Ralph Waldo Emerson (1864), Maria Mitchell (1848) and Charles Darwin (1874) in the nineteenth; Albert Einstein (1924), Robert Frost (1931), Margaret Mead (1948), Milton Friedman (1959), Martin Luther King Jr. (1966) and Jacques Derrida (1985) in the twentieth; and in this century, Madeleine K. Albright (2001), Antonin Scalia (2003), Jennifer Doudna (2003), John Legend (2017), David W. Miliband (2018), Anna Deavere Smith (2019), Salman Rushdie (2022) and Xuedong Huang (2023).
“With the broad diversity of members elected this year, we are continuing to expand on the commitment to excellence and wide-ranging expertise established by our founders," said Goodwin Liu, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court and the Academy's chair of the board. “The honor of election comes with an invitation for new members to rededicate themselves to the common good by advancing the Academy's nonpartisan, cross-disciplinary work in the arts, democracy, education, global affairs, and science."
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