World Academy of Art and Science

History

The idea of founding the Academy and a set of world scientific and youth scientist and science journalist associations was proposed in an article in Time Magazine on 1/10/1938 by philosopher and liberal-libertarian Etienne Gilson and during his tours of several scientific associations and universities in Europe and the Americas in the 1940s. He also proposed a world association of Liberal parties, what became the www.liberal-international.org, to champion secular democracy and pave the way for better scientific communication and education in a time of growing totalitarianism.

The idea was echoed in the 1950s by leading scientists who were concerned about the potential for misuse of scientific discoveries. They included Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Joseph Rotblat who had been involved in the development of the atomic bomb; Bertrand Russell philosopher and pacifist; Joseph Needham, a co-founder of UNESCO; Lord Boyd Orr, the First Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization; George Brock Chisholm, the First Director General of the World Health Organization; John A. Fleming, former President of the International Council of Scientific Unions; as well as Hermann Joseph Muller, Harold C. Urey, Francis Perrin, Panchanan Maheshwari, Theodore Monod, Detlev Bronk, Harold Lasswell and other outstanding scholars and public figures. The Academy was organized in December 1960 with the aim of creating an informal world association of the highest scientific and ethical norms and standards.

Originally established in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1960, in 2011 WAAS incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of California, USA. The Academy maintains offices in Napa, California; Zagreb, Croatia; Bucharest, Romania; and Pondicherry, India. It has a special division for South Eastern Europe.

Charter Members of the World Academy of Art and Science

1. Pierre Auger, France
2. I. Berenblum, Israel
3. Lord John Boyd Orr, UK
4. Hugo Boyko, Israel
5. Lyle K Bush, US
6. Ritchie Calder,UK
7. G. Brock Chisholm, Canada
8. Pierre Chouard, France
9. Maurice Ewing, US
10. R. M. Field, US
11. H. Munro Fox, UK
12. F. R. Fosburg, US
13. J. Heimanns, Netherlands
14. A. Katchalsky, Israel
15. George Laclavére, France
16. Harold D. Lasswell, US
17. W. C. de Leeuw, Netherlands
18. G. Le Lionnaise, France
19. P. Maheshvari, India
20. J. van Mieghem, Belgium
21. Théodore Monod, France
22. Stuart Mudd, US
23. Hermann Joseph Muller, US
24. Joseph Needham, UK
25. P. van Oye, Belgium
26. Robert Oppenheimer, US
27. Hugo Osvald, Sweden
28. Paul Pallot, France
29. Francis Perrin, France
30. A. de Philippis, Italy
31. John F. V. Phillips, South Africa
32. Christian Poulsen, Denmark
33. Boris Pregel, US
34. J. Rotblat, UK
35. Earl Bertrand Russell, UK
36. Arthur William Samson, US
37. M. J. Sirks, Netherlands
38. Harlan Stetson, US
39. W. F. G. Swann, US
40. W. Taylor Thom, Jr., US
41. Solco W. Tromp, Netherlands
42. Harold C. Urey, US
43. Franz Verdoorn, Netherlands
44. Walter W. Weisbach, Netherlands
45. Albert V. Nikolla, Albanie

Members

At present the Academy's membership consists of 730 Fellows, Associate Fellows and Junior Fellows from all parts of the world, representing virtually all fields of science, social sciences, arts and humanities, as well as educators, political leaders, diplomats and heads of leading international NGOs. Fellows are nominated by existing members and directly elected by the members. To be a Fellow of the Academy is to be a member of the global civil society, concerned for the welfare of the increasingly interconnected global civilization with a demonstrated commitment to addressing issues of global importance. Principal criteria for election include:

Election in the WAAS is considered as one of the highest honors that can be accorded a scientist. Fellows include leading artists, politicians, statesmen, former heads of various countries, heads of research institutes and international organizations, Nobel Prize winners and business leaders. Fellows of the Academy are entitled to use the post-nominal letters FWAAS.

Reliable Knowledge

In its approach to the challenges confronting humanity today, the Academy seeks to apply a comprehensive, integrated, human-centered conception of Reliable Knowledge encompassing seven dimensions. The framework is based on the premise that actions based on partial, piecemeal approaches are inadequate to address the pressing problems confronting humanity today and most often lead to unexpected side-effects generative of new and more complex problems.

Programs

The central objective of the Academy’s activities is to develop ideas, strategies and initiatives to promote a New Paradigm of Human Development appropriate to the needs of the 21st Century. WAAS’ current programing focuses on addressing challenges in the fields of democracy, economy and employment, ecology, education, global governance and rule of law, nuclear disarmament, peace and international security, scientific and technological development and application.

Current programs of the Academy include specific initiatives focusing on

World University Consortium

The Academy’s founders intended that WAAS should function as "an informal World University at the highest scientific and ethical level, in which deep human understanding and fullest sense of responsibility will meet." Although some modest beginnings were made to establish a few regional centers of excellence, political conditions at the height of the Cold War, as well as limitations in transport and global communication, posed insurmountable obstacles to realize this vision at the time. Rapid advances in telecommunications and educational technology over the past decade created the opportunity to realize the vision of WAAS Founders.

The World University Consortium in 2013 is a major initiative of the Academy to design a global system of higher education attuned to emerging opportunities and challenges.

Following a major international conference on Global Higher Education organized by the Academy at the University of California at Berkeley in October 2013, the World University Consortium was incorporated in California as a non-governmental organization to promote accessible, affordable, quality education at the global level founded on universal human values, relevant to the emerging needs of the 21st century, oriented to promote full employment, and capable of developing the full potential of each individual student for personal accomplishment and contribution to the collective progress of humanity.

WUC is intended to become a global network and umbrella group working to facilitate educational partnerships and linkages with interested stakeholders with shared goals, to explore creative solutions to enhance the reach, quality and relevance of higher education globally, to provide a platform for new ideas, trans-disciplinary perspectives and integrated courseware intended to address global opportunities and challenges, and to develop ways to draw upon the extensive knowledge and experience acquired by organizations outside the traditional field of academia which possess essential knowledge for addressing real-world problems.

Publications

Partnerships

WAAS works in partnership with a wide range of leading international institutions including CERN (the world’s leading research institute in nuclear physics at Geneva), Club of Madrid (an association of nearly 100 former heads of state), Club of Rome (author of the famous environmental report on the Limits to Growth), Fundación Cultura de Paz (Madrid, established by Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former Director General of UNESCO), Green Cross International (established by former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev to promote global ecology), Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (Berlin), Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik (international consortium of 170 leading universities), Library of Alexandria (Egypt), The Mother’s Service Society (social science research institute based in Pondicherry, India), Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (cultural institute in Baku, Azerbaijan), Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (on nuclear disarmament).

Management

The Academy is managed by a 22-member board of trustees and a seven-member Executive Committee. The four principal officers are: Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, President – formerly Secretary General of International Association of University Presidents and Rector of United Nations University.

Garry Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer – Vice President of the Mother’s Service Society, formerly Chairman of the Board of the World Academy and Member Secretary of the International Commission on Peace & Food.

Winston Nagan, Chairman of the Board – Professor of Law at University of Florida and former Chairman of Amnesty International (USA).

Ivo Šlaus, Honorary President – Dean of Dag Hammarskjold University College of International Relations (Zagreb) and former President of WAAS.

Past presidents of the World Academy

1. Lord John Boyd Orr
2. Hugo Boyko
3. Stuart Mudd
4. Marion Mushkat
5. Detlev Bronk
6. Harold Lasswell
7. Walter Isard
8. Ronald St. John Macdonald
9. Carl-Göran Hedén
10. Harlan Cleveland
11. Walter Truett Anderson
12. Ivo Slaus