by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at the request of Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Representatives Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin) and David Price (D-North Carolina).
[3][2] On June 19, 2013,[4][5][6] the Commission issued its initial report The Heart of the Matter,[7] along with a companion film[8] created by brothers Christopher and Erik Ewers, both long-time Ken Burns collaborators.
[9] The short film features interviews with Burns, George Lucas, Sandra Day O'Connor, John Lithgow, and Yo-Yo Ma.
[10] The commission was chaired by Richard H. Brodhead, president of Duke University, and John W. Rowe, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Exelon Corporation.
[11] The Commission’s report received wide press coverage[12] and statements of support from 15 national and state organizations.