Dr. Willis during Induction Ceremony
Join us in celebrating DPI Chair, Dr. Deborah Willis, who was inducted in The American Philosophical Society on Thursday, April 24th, in a ceremony with APS's esteemed members.
Dr. Deborah Willis, University Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts. She is also the Director for the Institute for African American Affairs and the Center for Black Visual Culture at New York University.
The American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge.” The Society sustains its mission in four principal ways. It honors and engages distinguished scientists, humanists, social scientists, and leaders in civic and cultural affairs through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, particularly in the semi-annual Meetings in Philadelphia. It supports research and discovery through grants and fellowships, lectures, publications, prizes, exhibitions, and public education. It serves scholars through a research library of some 13 million manuscripts and other collections internationally recognized for their enduring scholarly value. The American Philosophical Society’s current activities reflect the founder’s spirit of inquiry, provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, and convey the conviction of its members that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in the public interest.