Non-Member Price: $25
Member Price: FREE
The Future of Anthropology Departments: Enrollment, AI, and Building Sustainability webinar will provide AAA members with an opportunity to hear directly from the authors of The Academic Humanities Today: Opportunities & Challenges—Findings from Conversations with Department Chairs about the report’s key findings and implications for humanities and social science disciplines in higher education. The session will also create space for members to discuss how the report’s themes intersect with challenges facing anthropology departments and programs.
Speakers:
- Dr. Chelsea McCracken
- Dr. Claire Baytas
The report is based on focus groups with 30 humanities department chairs and identifies major concerns and responses related to:
- declining enrollments and majors
- administrative pressures and budget models
- faculty burnout and staffing challenges
- public perceptions of the humanities
- interdisciplinarity and recruitment strategies
- AI and changing pedagogies
- the need for stronger public-facing advocacy and marketing for the humanities
The webinar will consist of:
- 30-minute presentation by the report authors
- 30-minute moderated Q&A and discussion with members
Speaker Bios:
Claire Baytas is a Senior Analyst at Ithaka S+R, a division of the non-profit ITHAKA that does research and strategic consulting related to higher education. At Ithaka S+R, Claire’s work has spanned across various topics related to teaching, learning, and research at academic institutions, such as generative AI’s impact on the education and the status of the humanities. Prior to joining Ithaka S+R, Claire completed a PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Chelsea McCracken is a researcher at Ithaka S+R, where her focus of study is the academic research enterprise. In addition to the Academic Humanities Today report, her recent publications cover the topics of open source research software, academic freedom, research data services, and AI in biomedical research. Her prior work experience includes roles in academic libraries, healthcare market research, education and child welfare policy, and as a tenure-track professor of interdisciplinary studies at Utah Tech University. She holds a PhD in linguistics from Rice University and a BA in French and mathematics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.