Dr. Laurie Patton: Our Common Purpose
Fresh from the founding of a brand new country with a Big Idea (but still in the throes of the Revolution), John Adams was among the founders of the storied American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Devoted to bringing diverse thinkers, professions and talents to the task of creating and communicating knowledge to serve this new nation, the earliest members of the Academy included George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Its membership through these centuries are civilization’s legends—like Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
As we begin our reflections of the 250th year of our shared experiment, we are truly honored to bring you the current president of The Academy, Dr. Laurie L. Patton.
With facilitator Steve Seibert, former chair of Florida Humanities (and The Village Square), we’ll contemplate the hero arc storyline of this founding institution and how it’s shaping what comes next in America.
UNUM: Democracy Reignited is made possible in partnership with Florida Humanities (Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities.)
Our Common Purpose and Habits of Hearts and Minds
We believe these two reports should be tucked under the arm of every American citizen. They are a roadmap for renovation of our strained republic.















