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Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Among the 213 new members inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) this month was Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab.  President Raab, who is in the AAAS category of “Public Affairs, Business, and Administration”, joined a very accomplished group of scholars, scientists, writers, and artists, as well as civic, business, and philanthropic leaders.  The induction ceremony took place on Saturday, October 8, at Sanders Theatre at Harvard University. 

“In a tradition reaching back to the earliest days of our nation, the honor of election to the American Academy is also a call to service,” said Academy President Jonathan F. Fanton. “Jennifer Raab’s election to the Academy is a testament to her accomplishments in education, public policy, and business. She will make substantive contributions to the Academy’s important and rewarding work. We look forward to her participation in our projects, publications, and events—and to her help in producing the useful knowledge for which our charter calls.”

“I am incredibly honored to be inducted in to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,” said President Raab. “In fact it is an honor for the entire Hunter College community to be represented in this prestigious organization.  I look forward to the opportunity of bringing the diverse, vibrant, and intellectually dynamic voice that is Hunter to the Academy.”

Since assuming the presidency of Hunter in 2001, President Raab has led the successful transformation of the College from an open-admissions institution to a selective, highly-ranked college with a very diverse student population that includes one of America’s largest cohorts of immigrant and first-generation students. Under her leadership, Hunter’s standing in various national rankings has risen dramatically, as have both admission standards and graduation and retention rates.  She has also significantly expanded the extraordinary Hunter faculty by recruiting renowned professors, artists, and practitioners from around the world. She strengthened undergraduate liberal arts education and has overseen the growth of the largest and most selective Macaulay Honors program in the City University system. Her investment in the four professional schools at Hunter has led to increased enrollment and national recognition.

Throughout her tenure, President Raab has fostered interdisciplinary work and community engagement across the various Hunter schools and campuses, including the acclaimed Hunter High School.  Since she has assumed the presidency, Hunter has significantly increased its funding in government grants and awards and modernized and strengthened its fiscal management. And President Raab has been responsible for securing an unprecedented $335 million in private philanthropic support for the College, the most successful fundraising in Hunter history. 

Members of the 2016 AAAS class include winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the Wolf Prize, MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, the Fields Medal, the Grammy Award and National Book Award. 

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the country’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, convening leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to respond to the challenges facing—and opportunities available to—the nation and the world. Members contribute to Academy publications and studies of science, engineering, and technology policy; global security and international affairs; the humanities, arts, and education; and American institutions and the public good.

The list of the 236th class of new members can be found here: www.amacad.org/members.

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