To our members and to those entrusted with decisions about the future of higher education,
I want to begin with gratitude.
To our members, thank you. The work you do every day to make anthropology visible, relevant, and necessary in a rapidly changing world does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you for mentoring students, conducting research, shaping policy, and building institutions that understand people, not just systems.
And to policymakers and leaders who are considering new rules tying federal funding to graduate earnings, I ask you to pause and look more deeply.
We are living in a moment defined by technological acceleration. Artificial intelligence is transforming industries faster than we can map them. Leaders in AI acknowledge this uncertainty. Daniela Amodei, co-founder and president of Anthropic, recently argued that an education in the humanities will be more important than ever in an AI-driven future because the skills that endure are distinctly human. Judgment. Ethical reasoning. Communication. Curiosity. The ability to understand how people live and decide. These are not soft skills. They are future skills.
Anthropology trains students to see patterns others miss, to listen across differences, to understand how culture shapes behavior and anticipate unintended consequences in policy, technology, and institutions. These are precisely the capacities that responsible innovation requires. And yet, the threat of reduced or eliminated federal funding from programs deemed low paying by narrow early career salary metrics risks making a profound mistake. We do not know what the jobs of the future will be, but we know that human input will remain as important as ever.
We also know that adaptability, cultural fluency, systems thinking, and ethical reasoning will continue to matter across sectors. In technology. In healthcare. In governance. In philanthropy. In nonprofit leadership and beyond.
I have experienced this personally. I was a first-generation college student and relied on federal financial aid. Without that support, I would not have been able to pursue a degree in anthropology. And without that degree, I would not have built a career in nonprofit leadership and fundraising where I rely on my anthropological training every single day.
Anthropology taught me how to understand institutions as cultures, how to build trust, how to listen before acting and how to read power, community, and context. These skills make it possible for me to lead, to fundraise effectively, to steward relationships, and to build sustainable organizations. My salary immediately after graduation would not have predicted my leadership trajectory, nor would it have captured the social value of my work.
If we tie federal eligibility strictly to short-term earnings, we are effectively saying that only students who can afford to take financial risks without aid may pursue these fields. That means that degrees like anthropology become available primarily to those who already have wealth, and first-generation students like me would be shut out. Narrowing who gets to study human difference, who gets to shape cultural understanding, and who gets to influence technology development and public policy will not make for a better future.
Reducing socioeconomic diversity in the very disciplines that help society navigate complexity would be a loss not just for anthropology, but for the world.
To our members, your work matters more than ever. Continue to show the world how anthropological thinking strengthens institutions, improves design, informs healthcare delivery, shapes public policy, and guides ethical innovation.
To policymakers, we urge you to consider impact beyond starting salary. Consider long term-leadership, civic and ethical contributions, and adaptability. Consider who gains access and who loses it when aid is restricted.
The future will not be built by technical expertise alone. It will be built by people who understand people. We must ensure that those people come from every background, not just those who can afford tuition upfront.
With respect and hope,
Ady Arguelles-Sabatier
Chief Executive Officer
American Anthropological Association