Jamaica Kincaid, the Josephine Olp Weeks Chair and Professor of Literature at Claremont McKenna College, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 229th class of new members on Saturday, Oct. 10. The program celebrates pioneering research and scholarship, artistic achievement, and exemplary service to society.
"I am very flattered," Kincaid says. "This honor came from out of the blue. I'm particularly touched by the number of people in the Academy, especially the number of scientists, which I think of as very thrilling. I'm very touched, also, to be included with fellow inductees such as Thomas Pynchon and Robert Caro. These are people I know of by reputation and it's wonderful to be included among them."
"Jamaica's induction into the Academy is a well-deserved honor," noted President Pamela Gann. "Claremont McKenna College is pleased that the accomplishments of a member of our distinguished faculty are being recognized by such a prestigious organization."
The 212 new Fellows and 19 Foreign Honorary Members are leaders in research, scholarship, business, the arts, and public affairs. They come from 28 states and 11 countries and range in age from 33 to 83. They represent universities, museums, national laboratories, research institutes, businesses, and foundations. This year's group includes Nobel laureates and recipients of the Pulitzer and Pritzker prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, Academy, Grammy, and Tony awards, and the National Medal of Arts.
"Jamaica Kincaid's induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciencesone of the most august scholarly institutions in the United Statesis a justly deserved recognition of her many contributions to literature," says colleague Nicholas Warner, chair of the literature department at CMC. "It is also a signal honor for CMC to have Professor Kincaid recognized in this way. The CMC literature department is proud to have so talented a writer and dedicated a teacher as Jamaica Kincaid on our faculty, and we congratulate her with joy and warmest good wishes on this wonderful occasion."
"The Induction ceremony celebrates the Academy's mission and the accomplishments of its newly elected members," said Chief Executive Officer Leslie Berlowitz. "Through three centuries of service, the Academy and its Fellows have been dedicated to intellectual leadership and constructive action in America and the world."
A complete list of new members is available on the Academy's Web site at:
http://www.amacad.org/enewsletter/c.pdf.
About the Academy
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy's work is advanced by its 4,600 elected members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business and public affairs from around the world. (www.amacad.org)