"Public Pathways: Lessons about PhD Careers from 10 Years of Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows" Provides Insights on Career Opportunities Outside the Academy

NEW YORK, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- There is a persistent false perception that the humanities PhD is primarily a training program for future university faculty researchers. In reality, PhDs in the humanities and interpretive social sciences have meaningful careers in a variety of sectors, from academia to industry, government and nonprofits. The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to release "Public Pathways: Lessons about PhD Careers from 10 Years of Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows," a new report that provides insights into some of those career paths. The report reflects outcomes of the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program, including illustrative examples of alumni career pathways, as well as career development resources and advice specific to humanities PhDs seeking to explore careers beyond the academy.

From 2011-2022, the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program placed nearly 200 humanities and interpretive social sciences PhDs in two-year positions in government and nonprofit organizations across the United States. Through fellows' work and accomplishments, the program demonstrated the broad applicability of advanced humanistic training to work and careers beyond the academy. Fellows built capacity at hosting organizations while demonstrating the dynamic potential of humanities PhDs.

"The Public Pathways report is a glimpse into the significant impact of the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program and into some of the lessons we can learn from the fellowship about graduate education and career pathways," said ACLS President Joy Connolly. "We hope it can be useful to current PhD students who seek to understand the range of possible futures before them and to those who support every element of doctoral education—faculty, administrators, and beyond."

From program data and interviews with program alumni, the report explores the shared experiences of PhDs translating their advanced training in the humanities to diverse portfolios of work while also highlighting the unique perspectives of individual fellows. These insights led the development of online resources created specifically for graduate students and recent PhDs seeking information and inspiration for envisioning their careers. These resources, which will evolve over time, currently include information about career initiatives from ACLS member scholarly societies and an array of job postings from the program, which are meant to demonstrate the range of venues and roles across employment sectors in which PhDs can not only add value, but thrive.

This report reflects the longstanding commitment of ACLS to advanced training in the humanities by demonstrating its value and impact in communities beyond the academy. Similarly, the "Preparing Publicly Engaged Scholars" report, released earlier this spring, provides examples of how doctoral humanities training can be designed and leveraged for community-based research that is ethical, impactful for communities, and productive for student's professional development. Current ACLS programs and initiatives continuing this work include the ACLS Leading Edge Fellowships, Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowships, and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars. Information about these related programs, initiatives, and reports can be found on the Public Pathways page.

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its endowment and $37 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship. In all aspects of our work, ACLS is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice.

Media Contact

Anna Polovick Waggy, American Council of Learned Societies, 6468307661, awaggy@acls.org, https://www.acls.org/ 

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SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies