The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected University of Michigan historian Myron Gutmann, director of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, to head its directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). The directorate supports research that builds fundamental knowledge of human behavior, interaction, social and economic systems, and organizations and institutions.
On July 28, President Obama announced his intent to nominate David S. Ferriero to the position of Archivist of the United States. Mr. Ferriero currently serves as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries (NYPL). Mr. Ferriero succeeds Professor Allen Weinstein who resigned as Archivist last December.
The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded 123 grants under the FY 2009 Teaching American History (TAH) program competition. To view the list of 2009 grantees, click here. This year’s awards come at a time when it appears congressional support for the program may be waning.
President Obama recently announced his intention to nominate Jonathan Jarvis to be director of the National Park Service. Jarvis, a 30-year veteran of the Park Service, currently is the regional director of the agency’s Pacific West Region.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has issued an updated draft of its 2006-2016 Strategic Plan in compliance with the requirement in the Government Performance Results Act of 1993 for periodic updates at least every 3 years. NARA is seeking public comments on this draft plan by August 5, 2009.
On May 27, 2009, President Obama signed a Memorandum ordering the review of Executive Order 12958, as amended, “Classified National Security Information.” The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) recently solicited public input for revisions to the Order via an on-line Declassification Policy Forum in four topical areas: Declassification Policy, a National Declassification Center, Classification Policy, and Technology Challenges and Opportunities. Summaries of the public comments can be accessed on the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) Blog.
This week, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provided a status update on the loss of an external hard drive containing copies of Clinton Administration Executive Office of the President (EOP) data. In May, NARA announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of the hard drive. The agency learned in March 2009 that the hard drive was missing from a processing room at NARA’s College Park, Maryland facility.
