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of Academy

of Academy

Organizations representing specialized fields which are accepted as authoritative; may be non-governmental, university or an independent research organization, e.g., National Academy of Sciences, Brookings Institution, etc.

A name given in the United States to two classes of institutions: learned bodies, such as the National Academy of Sciences, and incorporated private institutions for secondary education. Of the former class, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded at Boston in 1780, the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1799, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1807. The National Academy of Sciences was founded in 1863, to "investigate, examine, experiment and report upon any subject of science or art," whenever called upon by any department of the national government. Of the latter class, a few dozen were in existence in 1789. Perhaps the most famous of these are Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and Phillips Academy, Exeter, N. H., founded in 1780 and 1781, respectively.