JEFFREY BROWN:

New data released by the NEA suggests that whether or not people see or understand the arts that way, they certainly are participating in them.

In 2012, for example, 120 million people, more than half the country's adults, saw a show, attended a live performance, or viewed an art exhibition, together producing nearly $700 billion in economic activity, more than 4 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

For its part, the NEH, which gives grants for research, education and programs in the humanities, is also trying to make a stronger case for its place in the national life. In that vein, it's launched the Common Good Initiative, designed to engage scholars and the public on a variety of issues, like the balance between liberty and security and how to better incorporate veterans back into civilian life.

Is it a critique of the university to say that you need to connect them better, that scholars need to connect their work more to the general public?