Back in 2016 I proposed an American Academy - modeled somewhat along French lines. Since then, some of the luminaries have died, notably I.M. Pei. Another, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, has been credibly accused of sexual misconduct, and until such a time as his name is cleared, I'm replacing him with the great Kip Thorne. Another, Sandra Day O'Connor, has retired from all public positions.
And so I have updated the positions, below, along with their ages while I was at it. A few new seats have also been added, upon further reflections. Another new feature is the name listed, italicized, of the memorial dedication of the chair. For example, Seat 1 would be the "Jonas Salk Memorial Seat for Medicine".
American
Congressional Academy
Membership
requirements: 1) American Citizen and adult resident for at least 10 years. 2)
Significant innovation or influence in the field. 3) Not currently serving in
the United States Legislature, Judiciary, or Executive branches of government
in an elected position. 4) Must be able to attend the three annual meetings in
person.
Foreign
membership requirements: 1) Significant innovation or influence in the field,
of global recognition. 2) Must be able to attend at least one of the three
annual meetings in person.
Purpose:
To make an annual report to Congress and the public of the areas in which the
United States should direct its energies, financial, intellectual, and
professional, with a focus on problem-solving.
Organization:
The Academy consists of thirty permanent Seats, each representing a
different facet of American life. One individual serves as Secretary General,
whose position must also reflect a significant contribution to the field of
Activism. All of the Academy Membership requirements apply to the Secretary General.
The Seats, initially filled by Congress, are lifetime appointments, allowing
for an Academy Member to resign at any time, with possibility of reappointment.
Seats are appointed by a 2/3 majority of the sitting Academy Members. The
Secretary General is also appointed by 2/3 majority of the Academy Members. In
addition, five International Seats will also be appointed by the Academy
Members, by 2/3 majority. Being an International Member provides the same
contribution privileges, however they do not vote on new membership of any type
except Secretary General. As with Academy Membership, International Members are
lifetime appointments, but may resign with possibility of reappointment. The
Secretary General may be recalled from the post by a 2/3 majority vote of the
entire Membership, consisting of both the Academy and International Seats. If
recalled, the individual may be appointed to a vacant Seat, if they fulfill the facet represented, or later
reappointed as Secretary General, or Academy Member. A memorial designation may also be re-designated by a simple majority vote, not including International Members. The new memorial designation must have equaled or exceeded the stature and influence in the field of the previous title holder.
Inaugural
2016 Academy Membership:
Seat 1,
Health (Jonas Salk): Louis Wade
Sullivan, 85
Seat 2,
Physics (Josiah Gibbs): Steven
Weinberg, 86
Seat 3,
Prose (Mark Twain): Toni Morrison, 88
Seat 4,
Mathematics (John von Neumann): Persi
Diaconis, 74
Seat 5,
Poetry (Emily Dickinson): Lawrence
Ferlinghetti, 100
Seat 6,
Chemistry (Linus Pauling): EJ Corey, 90
Seat 7,
Law (James Madison): Audrey B.
Collins, 73
Seat 8,
Education (Booker T. Washington): Sal
Khan, 42
Seat 9,
Technology (Benjamin Franklin): Elon
Musk, 47
Seat
10, Music (Bessie Smith): Wayne
Shorter, 85
Seat
11, History (WEB DuBois): David
McCullough, 85
Seat
12, Architecture (Frank Lloyd Wright):
Frank Gehry, 90
Seat
13, Journalism (Ida B. Wells): Gloria
Steinem, 85
Seat
14, Human Rights (Frederick Douglass):
Dolores Huerta, 89
Seat
15, Economics (John Kenneth Galbraith):
Amory Lovins, 71
Seat
16, Anthropology and Sociology (Franz
Boas): Jared Diamond, 81
Seat
17, Astronomy and Cosmology (Edwin
Hubble): Kip Thorne, 78
Seat
18, Biology (Rachel Carson): E.O.
Wilson, 89
Seat
19, Design (Muriel Cooper): Paula
Scher, 70
Seat
20: Philosophy (Thomas Dewey): Saul
Kripke, 78
Seat
21, Two-Dimensional Art (Georgia O’Keefe):
Kara Walker, 49
Seat
22, Three-Dimensional Art (Alexander
Calder): Maya Lin, 59
Seat
23, Psychology (William James): Elizabeth
Loftus, 74
Seat
24, Theater Art (Paul Robeson):
Lin-Manuel Miranda, 39
Seat
25, Film and Television (Thomas Edison):
Spike Lee, 62
Seat
26, Labor and Business (Walter Reuther):
Bill Gates, 63
Seat
27, Theology (Paul Tillich): Pema
Chodron, 82
Seat
28, Military and Intelligence (George Washington):
Michael Mullen, 72
Seat
29, Politics (Abraham Lincoln):
Barrack Obama, 57
Seat
30, Secretary General - Activism (Martin
Luther King): Angela Davis, 75
Inaugural
2016 International Members:
Art (Frida Kahlo): Ai Weiwei, 61, China
Science
(Charles Darwin): Jane Goodall, 85,
United Kingdom
Social
Science (Antenor Firmin): Muhammad
Yunus, 78, Bangladesh
Politics
(Sun Yat-Sen): Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,
80, Liberia
Law and
Journalism (Nelson Mandela): Tawakkol
Karman, 40, Yemen
