On December 22, 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with members of the Historical Advisory Committee (HAC) to discuss the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series and concerns expressed by some current and former members of the HAC about the series. Secretary Rice stated her strong support for the FRUS series and told the group that she had asked an outside Review Team to provide recommendations by mid-January about how to ensure the FRUS series remains the gold standard for diplomatic history scholarship.
On December 23, 2008, the U.S. Department of Education announced the opening of the fiscal year 2009 Teaching American History (TAH) grants competition. The deadline for “Notice of Intent to Apply” is January 22, 2009. The deadline for the transmittal of applications is March 9, 2009, and the deadline for intergovernmental review is May 7, 2009. Potential applicants are strongly advised to read the full notice in the Federal Register by clicking here or visiting the TAH Web site.
In December 2008, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that 248 successful applicants would receive $15.7 million in awards and offers for a wide-range of projects in the humanities.
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) and the National Park Service (NPS), recently jointly announced the awarding of $10.52 million in federal competitive Save America’s Treasures (SAT) grants to 40 organizations and agencies. The grants are made in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
During this holiday giving season, the NCH Board of Directors urge you to make an end-of-the-year fully TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution to the NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (federal tax ID #01-0688590 for federal income tax purposes). Your contribution will help ensure the continuation of our important education and advocacy activities that advance the interests of the historical and archival communities here in Washington.
On December 19, 2008, the major archival groups, the National Coalition for History (NCH) and several individual NCH member organizations sent a letter to President-elect Obama’s Transition Team setting forth the qualifications that should be considered in selecting a new Archivist of the United States. It was sent the same day that former-Archivist Allen Weinstein’s resignation became effective.
The National Humanities Alliance is pleased to extend an invitation to its 2009 Conference & Humanities Advocacy Day to be held March 10-11 in Washington, DC. A new Administration and Congress will be sworn in early next year, marking a historic moment that includes a shift in party control of the executive branch for the first time in eight years.
On December 7, historian Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States, submitted his resignation to the President, effective December 19, 2008. Professor Weinstein, who has Parkinson’s disease, cited health reasons for his decision. Deputy Archivist of the United States, Adrienne Thomas, will serve as Acting Archivist until a new Archivist is appointed. It is anticipated that Bush administration will not try to seek to name a successor and that President-elect Obama will nominate the new Archivist sometime after he takes office in January.
In a tense and adversarial meeting at the State Department this week, Professor Wm. Roger Louis the chairman of the Department’s Historical Advisory Committee warned that the future of the Department’s “Foreign Relations of the United States” (FRUS) series, which is the official record of U.S. foreign policy, is in jeopardy due to mismanagement by the Office of the Historian. Underscoring his concerns, Dr. Louis announced his resignation from the Committee. (coverage provided courtesy of Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News).
On December 5, 2008, President-elect Obama’s transition team chief John Podesta issued a memorandum to its staff instituting what is called a “Seat at the Table” transparency policy. The memo states that “any documents from official meetings with outside organizations will be posted on our website for people to review and comment on.”