University director of creative initiatives Laurence Kaptain was named a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce Monday.
The society, or the RSA, is an international organization that seeks to connect professionals and thinkers in various fields across the world, according to its website.
Kaptain, who served as dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts from 2009 to 2013, said since taking the position of creative initiatives director, his work has focused on uniting disparate colleges across the University in interdisciplinary studies and projects.
He said he has seen a trend of important companies looking for individuals with experience working and thinking in a multidisciplinary framework, especially among the publications he said shape much of modern discourse, such as The New York Times or The Guardian.
“With thinking like this, you can cut across disciplines, you can cut across society, you can cut across the economy,” Kaptain said. “They want people who can understand things broadly.”
Kaptain said some scholars look down on the United States because its education system is largely focused on instructing students in a single discipline, but through international organizations such as the RSA, he hopes the country can improve its reputation.