Resources

Together, our arts and sciences stories have more impact. Connect with other organizations and resources.

Interested in learning more? Here are some key colleague organizations, reports, featured news, opinions, and infographics you should get to know.

Winter 2024: The Year Ahead in Higher Ed

 As the nation faces global strife and uncertainty, investments matter in well-rounded education that prepares thoughtful students for a vibrant democracy and meaningful careers. Higher education is also a hot topic for state policymakers in the 2024 legislative sessions on topics ranging from funding to academic freedom.

Beginning locally, here are some tips and suggestions:

At the federal level, there are many things that you can do while the House and Senate continue budget negotiations for fiscal year (FY) 2024 and begin for FY 2025:

  • Be prepared to act when the Society posts urgent alerts on our social media channels to protect federal investments in higher education, the nation’s cultural endowments, and scientific research. Advocates like you already defeated amendments to eliminate the nation’s cultural agency with bipartisan support from every Phi Beta Kappa member of Congress. New efforts are already underway to eliminate federal work study and other critical programs that provide access to liberal arts and sciences education.
  • Make sure your Members of Congress know that you oppose deep cuts to the Federal Work-Study and the Supplemental Opportunity Grants program that ensures more students can access quality arts and sciences education. You can also remind your legislators that, “Nearly 7 million of our nation’s students rely on federal Pell Grants…” Instead, the country should support millions of students throughout the country by doubling Pell.
  • Reach out to your Representatives and Senators requesting their support of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. In FY2023, advocates like you helped the NEA and NEH reach historic funding levels at $207 million each.
  • Ask your Members of Congress to protect critical programs funding HBCUs and MSIs, an investment that has previously received strong bipartisan support.
  • Urge your elected officials to support the federally funded science research at the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health that contributes significantly to the nation’s human and economic growth.

Whether you reach out to policymakers at the state or federal level, you can boost the impact of your summer advocacy efforts with these tips:

  • Keep your message as short, simple, and specific as possible. If you can, reference pending legislation in your state or specific federal budget line items.
  • Tell a brief personal anecdote, when possible, to tie your message back home for your legislator.
  • Ask for a response by indicating you would appreciate a reply on the issue.
  • Follow up when appropriate by thanking your legislator when you agree with their votes or informing them when you disagree.

Prefer not to contact your policymakers? You can still help. 

If you donate to your college, make sure their development team know you support arts and sciences education.

If you are an employer, make sure your hiring department includes liberal arts and sciences majors for posted positions when applicable. 

If you use social media, help us spread the word by retweeting or sharing our content with your own insights.

 

 

 

 

Reports and Infographics

Myths and Realities About Humanities Majors
(Humanities Works)

Strategies for Recruiting Students to the Humanities: A Comprehensive Resource
(National Humanities Alliance)

What Are You Going to Do with That?
(National Humanities Alliance)

Doubling the Maximum Pell Grant
(National Association of Student Financial Aid Adminstrators)

chArts and Sciences
(Phi Beta Kappa)

The Real, Long-term Labor Market Outcomes of Liberal Arts Grads
(Strada Institute for the Future of Work and Emsi)

Federal Funding for Social and Behavioral Sciences
(Association of American Universities)

It Takes More than a Major
(Association of American Colleges & Universities)

Liberal Arts Degrees and Their Value in Employment
(Association of American Colleges & Universities and National Center for Higher Education Management Systems)

Power of the Liberal Arts
(Council of Independent Colleges)

Science Matters
(Science Coalition)

Heart of the Matter
(American Academy of Arts & Sciences)

Arts + Social Impact Explorer
(Americans for the Arts)

District Advocacy Guide: Engaging Humanities Advocates on a Local Level
(National Humanities Alliance)

NEH Impact Index
(Graduate Center Digital Initiatives)

The State of Humanities 2018
(American Academy of Arts & Sciences)

Featured News Articles and Opinions

Let’s Continue the Momentum for Federal Arts Funding
By Isaac Brown
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies  | 01.03.2023

The Fundamental Role of Arts and Humanities in Medical Education 
Association of American Medical Colleges  | 2023

To Fight Misinformation, We Need to Teach That Science Is Dynamic
By Carl T. Bergstrom, Daniel R. Pimentel, and Jonathan Osborne
Scientific American  | 10.26.2022

The Philosophy Major Continues to Recover and Diversify in the U.S.
By Justin Weinberg

DailyNous  | 08.24.2022

Liberal Arts Align with Employers Needs 
By Rick Seltzer
Inside Higher Ed  | 01.07.2020

What’s a Liberal Arts Degree Worth?
By Te-Ping Chen and Hanna Sender
The Wall Street Journal | 5.10.2019

Study Documents Economic Gains (Yes, Gains) of Liberal Arts Education
By Scott Jaschik
Inside Higher Ed | 2.15.2019

Shocker: Humanities Grads Gainfully Employed and Happy
By Scott Jaschik
Inside Higher Ed | 2.7.2018

Liberal Arts Prepare Students for a Changing World
By Brian F. Linnane
The Baltimore Sun | 6.13.2018

A Liberal Arts Degree- Specializing in Nothing- Is Actually Great for Your Career
By Amy X. Wang
Quartz | 11.6.2017

The Ideal College Education Can Yield Rocket Scientists Who Write Poetry
By John M. Eger and Norah P. Schultz
San Diego Union Tribune | 3.31.2017

Historians Make the Best Health Care Workers
By Emily Michelson
Times Higher Education| 1.22.2017

You Don’t Need to Know Code to Make It in Silicon Valley
By Alice Ma
LinkedIn Official Blog | 8.25.2015

That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket
By George Anders
Forbes | 7.29.2015

Let’s Continue the Momentum for Federal Arts Funding
By Isaac Brown
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies  | 01.03.2023

To Fight Misinformation, We Need to Teach That Science Is Dynamic
By Carl T. Bergstrom, Daniel R. Pimentel, and Jonathan Osborne
Scientific American  | 10.26.2022

The Fundamental Role of Arts and Humanities in Medical Education 
Association of American Medical Colleges  | 2023

Liberal Arts Align with Employers Needs 
By Rick Seltzer
Inside Higher Ed  | 01.07.2020

What’s a Liberal Arts Degree Worth?
By Te-Ping Chen and Hanna Sender
The Wall Street Journal | 5.10.2019

Study Documents Economic Gains (Yes, Gains) of Liberal Arts Education
By Scott Jaschik
Inside Higher Ed | 2.15.2019

Shocker: Humanities Grads Gainfully Employed and Happy
By Scott Jaschik
Inside Higher Ed | 2.7.2018

Liberal Arts Prepare Students for a Changing World
By Brian F. Linnane
The Baltimore Sun | 6.13.2018

A Liberal Arts Degree- Specializing in Nothing- Is Actually Great for Your Career
By Amy X. Wang
Quartz | 11.6.2017

The Ideal College Education Can Yield Rocket Scientists Who Write Poetry
By John M. Eger and Norah P. Schultz
San Diego Union Tribune | 3.31.2017

Historians Make the Best Health Care Workers
By Emily Michelson
Times Higher Education| 1.22.2017

You Don’t Need to Know Code to Make It in Silicon Valley
By Alice Ma
LinkedIn Official Blog | 8.25.2015

That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket
By George Anders
Forbes | 7.29.2015

Is there a key resource that we missed?

Send your suggestions to advocacy@pbk.org.