Frequently Asked Questions

 

When was NAS founded?
NAS's former president, Stephen Balch, founded the National Association of Scholars in 1987, shortly after Allan Bloom published his bestseller, The Closing of The American Mind. NAS was originally named the Campus Coalition for Democracy.

 

What is NAS's political affiliation?
The NAS has no political affiliation. As NAS President Peter Wood wrote: "Both the Left and the Right produce their share of intellectual obtuseness. The NAS is not a partner with either. We are not a political organization, but a body of scholars who hope to sustain a vision of the university as a fundamentally good institution that deserves to be sustained."

 

Who may join NAS?
NAS membership is open to all. This is a change as of October 2009. Before that NAS restricted membership to academics. We now encourage anyone who agrees with the principles we espouse to join. We do, however, continue to distinguish between academic and public members, and a large majority of our members are current and former faculty members. We have also made a special outreach to graduate and undergraduate students, teachers, college administrators, and independent scholars. Membership is renewable annually and includes a one-year subscription to Academic Questions.

 

How many members does NAS have?
NAS has 5,300 active and associate members across the country.

 

How is NAS funded?
NAS is funded by grants from foundations, gifts from individuals, and dues from membership. We also draw some overhead from federal research grants. NAS is a non-profit organization.

 

What have others written about the NAS?
You can see a list of writings about the National Association of Scholars on our NAS in the News page.