[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #6, February 9, 2001



NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 7, #6, February 9, 2001
by Bruce Craig <rbcraig3@juno.com> of the National Coordinating Committee
for the Promotion of History
*****************

1.  Education is Center Stage for Bush Administration; $50 Million "History
Education" Update
2.  "Humanities on the Hill" Jefferson Day 2001 Deadline Approaches
3.  Library of Congress to Lead Digital Information Program
4.  News Bits and Bytes: New Directors of Presidential Libraries Selected;
PhD Report - Numbers Drop for First Time in 14 Years; Seminar for Historical
Administration Announcement; IMLS Grant Availability; Bibliographic Research
Awards.

1.  EDUCATION IS CENTER STAGE FOR BUSH ADMINISTRATION: $50 MILLION "HISTORY
EDUCATION" UPDATE
For years, the Department of Education (DOE) was one of a number of federal
agencies that Republicans in Congress have wanted to eliminate. Today, the
agency is a favorite with President Bush who has vowed to make education his
administration's top priority. "Bipartisan education reform will be the
cornerstone of my administration," Bush stated during his first week in
office.  While the federal government only provides about 7% of the total
dollars spent nationwide on education, the DOE is viewed as pivotal in
carrying out education reform throughout the country.

Bush's broad education proposal entitled "No Child Left Behind" was answered
in the last few weeks by Congress with a flurry of legislative proposals
originating from both Republicans and Democrats (see NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE,
Vol. 7: 4; January 26, 2001). House Democrats, for example, recently
proposed a $110 billion school package that is 75% in agreement with the
Bush administration's proposals. On February 27, when the President
addresses Congress, education promises to be front and center in his speech.
Then, with the submission of the President's budget proposal (which is
expected in a few weeks or months), Congress will begin to debate the size
of the agency's budget in light of a $5.6 trillion projected surplus.
Certainly, with such a sizable projected surplus tax cuts will be a hot
topic of discussion. Increased military spending which is championed by
several powerful members of Congress (less so with Bush), will also impact
the number of dollars available for the President's favorite programs.

In the meantime, DOE officials are working on the administrative details
relating to the $50 million earmark for history education in this year's
Department of Education appropriations bill. According to recent DOE news
postings: "The funds are designed to improve the quality of instruction in
American History, as distinct from general social studies education. Grant
awards will be designed to assist elementary and secondary schools in
implementing research-based methods for improving the quality of
instruction, professional development and teacher education in American
history.  These funds will be used for competitive grants to local education
agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs where appropriate."

As reported in the January 26th issue of the NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, history
education advocates and Department officials met on January 26 and DOE
officials are continuing to meet with representatives of other interested
organizations.

The Department has informed the NCC that 100 to 120 grants in the estimated
range of $300,000 to $700,000 (with the average grant being $500,000) will
be competitively awarded. Grants will be available for up to three years
(dependent upon the availability of funding after 2001). Applications should
be available May 1st with a June 30, 2001, anticipated closing date.  The
DOE expects to have a web site up and running in the next 2-3 weeks. For
more information about the program contact Christine Miller or Gillian Cohen
at (202) 260-8230.

2.  "HUMANITIES ON THE HILL" JEFFERSON DAY 2001 DEADLINE APPROACHES
The deadline to reserve tickets for the Jefferson Lecture which will be
delivered by playwright Arthur Miller, is February 20; the number of
available tickets is limited and seating cannot be guaranteed after this
date.  Mr. Miller's lecture will be delivered at the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts in Washington D.C. the evening of March 26, 2001. There is
no charge for the lecture or other Jefferson Day events.

Jefferson Day is an annual advocacy event to promote support for the
National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest single funder of
humanities programs in the United States. This year, congressional visits
will take place on Tuesday, March 27. Register online for the lecture and
other events at: <http://www.nhalliance.org/jd/>.

3.  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO LEAD DIGITAL INFORMATION PROGRAM
The Library of Congress has received a $100 million special appropriation to
develop a national program to preserve the burgeoning amounts of digital
information, especially materials that are created in digital formats to
insure their accessibility for current and future generations. The program
will be spearheaded by Laura Campbell, the Library's recently appointed
Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives.

Congress has directed the Library to make the project a collaborative
effort.  The legislation calls for the Library to work jointly with the
Secretary of Commerce, the director of the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy, and the National Archives and Records Administration. The
legislation also empowers the Library to seek the participation of "other
federal, research and private libraries and institutions with expertise in
the collection and maintenance of archives of digital materials." Meetings
with various partners have already been initiated.

The $100 million is to be spent as follows: $25 million to develop and
execute a congressionally approved strategic plan for a National Digital
Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program of which $5 million may
be spent during the initial phase for planning as well as the acquisition
and preservation of digital information that may otherwise vanish. Up to $75
million may be made available if matched by non-federal donations.

4.  NEWS BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1 - Presidential Library Selections: Two new heads of presidential
libraries have been selected. Edward Douglas Menarchik, formally the
director of the Center for the Defense Leadership and Management Program at
the National Defense University will become director of the George Bush
Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.  Dennis A. Daellenbach will
leave the Ronald Reagan Library where he presently oversees administration
and facility management to become the director of the Gerald R. Ford Library
in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Item #2 - PhD Report: The CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION ( February 9, 2001,
p. A-10) reports that the number of new PhDs dropped for the first time
since 1985. The report, "Survey of Earned Doctorates" conducted by the
University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center, states that the
biggest declines did not come in the humanities fields but in engineering
and the physical sciences. The social sciences, humanities, and education
showed the smallest decreases. A total of 41,140 PhDs were awarded by 392
American universities in 1999 - down 3.6% from the previous year. Of these,
5,435 were humanities PhDs; degrees in history accounted for 1,011 of this
total. For the report tap into:
http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/studies/sed/sed1999.htm

Item #3 - Seminar for Historical Administration: The Seminar for Historical
Administration, an intensive three-week course that strengthens leadership
with the historical organization and museum community, will be held October
27 - November 17, 2001, at Colonial Williamsburg. A total of 18 participants
will be selected to attend. The deadline for applications is May 25, 2001.
For more information and a descriptive brochure, contact Peggy McDonald
Howells at (757) 220-7211; Email: phowells@cwf.org

Item #4 - IMLS Grants:  Grants Available: IMLS grant applications are
currently available for Museum and Museum-Library  Partnerships. In 2001,
the IMLS will award approximately $22.6 million in grants to museums and
museum-library partnerships. IMLS is accepting applications for funds under
five grant programs and encourages all types of museums and library partners
to apply. Deadlines are March 1, March 15, and April 1. For details, please
click on: http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/020101.htm or call the IMLS
at 202-606-8339.  Applications, guidelines, electronic fill-in forms, and
sample narratives for all IMLS grant programs are available at:
<http://www.imls.gov/grants/appl/index.htm>.

Item #5 - Awards: The Association for the Bibliography of History and the
history firm ABC-CLIO are sponsoring an annual series of awards for
bibliographic historical research by undergraduates and for professors of
classes in which students compile bibliographies. The awards are designed to
encourage historical scholarship and promote the importance of bibliographic
research.  Prizes of $250 will be awarded in some 12 categories. The
deadline for entries is March 1, 2001.  For additional details and an entry
form, tap into: http://www.abc-clio.com/academic/foryou/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *
NCC invites you to redistribute the NCC Washington Updates.  A complete
backfile of these reports is maintained by H-Net at
<http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~ncc>   To subscribe to the "NCC Washington
Update," send an e-mail message to listserv@h-net.msu.edu according to the
following model: SUBSCRIBE H-NCC firstname lastname, institution.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>