Last year, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences engaged Ithaka S+R to conduct research on the state of the humanities in higher education. My colleagues Chelsea McCracken and Claire Baytaş led a series of focus groups with humanities department chairs to learn how they are adapting to the current climate of retrenchment and technological change. These focus groups yielded information about the perceived value of the humanities, efforts to promote student enrollment, the implications of AI for humanities teaching, and more. Today, the Academy released our findings from the study on their website.

“The Academic Humanities Today: Opportunities & Challenges: Findings from Conversations with Department Chairs” describes increased anxiety among humanities chairs about the perception of their disciplines—both by society and by university administrators—as well as how these chairs are adapting creatively to promote their subjects, attract majors, and grapple with the implications of AI for their classes.

We’re currently undertaking a second commissioned study for the Academy’s ongoing Humanities Indicators project. In this next phase, we are exploring the feasibility of collecting large-scale quantitative data about the requirements of humanities programs using university websites and a structured inventory instrument. The project includes interviews with humanities deans, department chairs, and program managers to ensure that the instrument accurately captures their programs’ most relevant characteristics. The findings from both studies will inform the Academy’s planned 2026 convening of stakeholders to lay out the Humanities Indicators project’s next decade of work.

If you would like to know more about Ithaka S+R’s work supporting the humanities, please contact me at dylan.ruediger@ithaka.org.