American Congressional Academy Update

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