Peter N. Miller, a respected historian and educator who is a leading voice on the continued importance of the humanities, will serve as the next President of the American Academy in Rome, effective July 1, 2023, the Academy’s Board of Trustees announced today. He will succeed President and CEO Mark Robbins, who is stepping down after nearly ten years of service.
In announcing the decision of the Search Committee, AAR Board Chair Calvin Tsao said: “For more than a century the American Academy in Rome has evolved with the times. Mark Robbins’s leadership has broadened and extended the Academy's reach in the arts and humanities within the global arena. In these times when the relevancy of the arts and humanities itself is being gravely challenged we are confident that our next President, Peter N. Miller, will help guide us forward with strength and insight.”
“I’m extremely honored to be selected to helm the American Academy in Rome, the nation’s foremost overseas research institute and artistic community,” said Dr. Miller. “For almost 130 years, AAR has supported research and creativity that has advanced the cultural life of the United States. Now, at a time when many need to be reminded of the value of the humanities and the arts in enriching life and society, the role of the Academy, and its nearly 1,000 living Fellows, in this conversation could not be more important or more needed.”
Dr. Miller is an expert on the history of scholarship, cultural history, antiquarianism, and conservation. These topics have guided his long record of leadership as dean of the Bard Graduate Center, where he has developed exhibitions, curricula, publications, and programs that advance interdisciplinary scholarship and create bridges between academia and the public. At Bard, he has greatly expanded humanities programming and overseen the creation of new full-time academic positions in the study of Islamic art and material culture, medieval European artistic and material culture, museum anthropology, art and material culture of Africa and the African diaspora, and the material culture of New York City, among others.
Dr. Miller received his BA and MA from Harvard and received a doctorate in history from the University of Cambridge. Prior to becoming dean, Miller was professor of cultural history at Bard and held posts at the University of Maryland at College Park and the University of Chicago. Dr. Miller is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and seven books, and editor of twelve collaborative volumes. He was a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation fellow in 2003 and has also received grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the MacArthur Foundation.
Dr. Miller was chosen from a large field of excellent candidates. The Board’s Search Committee was co-chaired by Calvin Tsao and former Board Chair Cary Davis, assisted by the firm Spencer Stuart.
American Academy in Rome
Established in 1894, the American Academy in Rome is America’s oldest overseas center for independent studies and advanced research in the arts and humanities. The Academy has since evolved to become a more global and diverse base for artists and scholars to live and work in Rome. The residential community includes a wide range of scholarly and artistic disciplines, which is representative of the United States and is fully engaged with Italy and contemporary international exchange. The support provided by the Academy to Rome Prize and Italian Fellows, and invited Residents, helps strengthen the arts and humanities.