Gregorian, Vartan

English

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University of Rhode IslandDigitalCommons@URIReauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990) Education: National Endowment for the Arts andHumanities, Subject Files I (1973-1996)1988Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990):Speech 05Vartan GregorianFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_73This Speech is brought to you for free and open access by the Education: National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, Subject Files I(1973-1996) at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990) by an authorizedadministrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@etal.uri.edu.Recommended CitationGregorian, Vartan, "Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990): Speech 05" (1988). Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990).Paper 20.http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_73/20- -. ......i: -• ==== ~~-~--------------TESTIMONY OF VARTAN GREGORJ:AN PRESIDENT, THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY on The Nation~l Enclowment for the Humanities su}Jcoinmit..t~~ on Interior and Relat.ed. Agencies The Honorable SiQ.I'l~Y ¥ate!?, Chairman 17 March 1988 '. 'IChaipqan ¥at~!?, J.ft:!mbers of the committee, I am grateful ~o~ this 6J?portuni ty tq !?Pea]{ today about the National. Endowment for the.Humanities. Al.though I am currently pres:i,;de~t C>f 'l'be New Yqrk P-u,blic Library, my point of view on the NEH is shaped by my al_!?O baving b~en, over many years; a prote~Ei'or of history at universities in Texas and. California, Dec;s.n of. Ar~s and. Sciences and Provost at the university of Pennsylvania, and a member of two d.i:f:fe:teht st~te h\lll_l<ltlities councils. Through tnis; variety of experience I have become aware of the many different ways in which suppe>~t ~~om tbe NEH enriche.s our na:tionai iife.. I have come to believe that the teaching, research and pti.bJ,.:i,.c pi;og:ra_ms that NEH makes - 1 -possible are central to shaping the quality of our national discourse, as well as preserving our nat:i..onal h~:t'it:age. This is a particularly satisfying yea_t' in, which to testify a_}:)Qqt t:.he NEH budget, since 'this is the first year sine~ l9f;!1 tbat a. :?;'eduction in funding has hot been proposed for the agency. Throu9hout tnQ~e $even years, which coincide with lilY tenure at The New York Public .~il:>ra:ry, this subcommittee's leade~$hip Ilg!=' :Peen the critical factor in preventing substantial reductions ih the a,gency's funding. Without you, Cl1airman Yates, I would .be testifyin<] today ~:bo11t a ve'I:!y different agency. In addit:ic;>n, the NEH has had many fine Cheii-PllEm, who have all maintained conimi tment$ t:o scholarship, educaticm, O\!tx-each, and the central institutions tbat support these ac::tivitie~. I am pleased that the c:-u.rrent c:;:hairman continues this fine tradition. .A,s; a result of Cha<i:nnan Lynne Cheney 1 s leadership no cuts }1~ve l:>een proposed for the NEH next yeax, a_nd we can talk today about ftn1ding issues a_nq p~iQrities, and about achieving excellence, rather than about survival. The real and potehtj.a_l contributions· of the disciplines of the humahit:ies to our national life a~e i.nc~ea§i.ngly ¥~c9gnizeg in the press, in gov~rnment, and among the American public. The need to improve the teaching of litet"at'll:re, h-istory and language to our young people has Qe~n - 2 -hi9'b1igbted in numerous widely publicized repQ:i:."t~. Books about the humanities, or baseg 911 :i:."e~earch in the hwnanities, are not only on })e~t $eller lists but are in:formin9 nat.i.onal debate: witness The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom, .The Rise and. Fall of the. Great Eowers by Paul Kennedy, and Bea:rincf the cross by Dc:tvi.;l G~::i:.":l:."9W. The .problem of books 1 pe:t"iodicals, pamphlets and photoc~traph_s C:::i:."l!rnllling in our lil:>ra:t"ies is becoming a matter of inc-reasihgly broad natie>nal concern. The reaiization is g:i:."9wing t_hat needs in the humanities are I19t jlJ,.~t the needs of universities; but the need~ 9f all Americans. In spite of this ~eali:z:ation, Federal support for tbe hl.lmc:tni ties lags far behind Federai stippo:t"t fc;ri; the arts. It was nc>t alwgy$ i;o. In the early years ·the rei?pec::tive appropriations for NEH and N~~ We:i:."e quite elose. After 1977 they began to diverge, t9 tbe point where now $27,ooo,ooo more is spent on the a:rte than on the humanities. I see no evidence that needs in t}l.e hl.lmanitdes are less pressing thc:tn .needs in the arts, or that the c:ontributions of the humanities to our $c;>ciety c:t:t"e any less impressive than those of tl'le a:i:."t_~h T9 give just one example of need, at The Research Libraries of The New York Public Libracy, we tbiE5 year are spending 300% more oh the purc::bai:H~ of books and periodicals t.han we were in 1980, even though our collections - 3 -polici~!? ill~e \l,nchanged. And as an example of contl:'ibution, what could be more significant to the nation's cult\l~~l and ed-qc~tiQngl life than saving our past t'rQ:ni, i~~eversible , , physical loss? Certa.l.nly ~e$pOnsible members of Congress have llQ inter~st in parity fen; t:.l:le sake of parity, or in addin9 mo~f:l money so that less wo:rtny projects can be funded. ¥0\l want to know speci:fical.l.y whe:r~ a<;lc;litional funds are needed, and Wei_l'.lt to be assureq tbg:1; funds will be weil spent. I hav~ ~ few suggestions. While I under~tilllld that this is a year in wnic;b f~nding increases will be few, th.ii? s-µ_):)committee has always evinced strong interest in learning about the issues, ::reggJjgless of dollars, in ends, not j\J.E?t means. one· area in which I KllQW r speak to the conve~ted is pre~H~,nration. The actions of this commi tt~e ~nd the NEH have e"'emplif ied what cah be accom:plishe<;l witb Federal leadership ancl a modest initial investment of f\lnQ.ing, which has grown 9ve:r the yeal:'s. I believe tile critical questicm tbat faces us now is wha1i the federal role in :p:re§e~i.ng our d.ete:rio:rating heritage should be. NEH, appropriately, began wit.h conferences, training, and model :p:rojec;:t$ with broad impact. A number of large scale projects with national implication$ have also been funded. I :Oel.ieve tpe flJ:t:\l_:re federal role lies in supporting those national pro~ects that - 4 -will save inf ormatioh and n:i~ke it: broadly accessible throu9h microfilming. P;rQCJ:rei;$ i~ being made; the NEH and the community o! n~tiona.l research libraries with tbe capacity to conduct microfilming s}J.oyld work in partnership to !?ave the record of the humanities. 'rl'lE! Ngtional Gommission on Preserva'l:ion and Access, f:i:;oQID. which you will hear iater in thi$ nearing, has been and will continue t_o be inst.rumental in tbi!? pg:i:tnership, and The New York Public;: J:..jJ:lrca.ry is pleased 'to cooperate in its effort. S'1,J,b$ta.ntial federal commitment in tl'lii;; ~:rea would be an incentive f<;>r the expansion ot .pre1?ervation capacity. It wil,l ~_l~Q result in greatly expanded national access to O\l:J:' !-ntellectual i:e_sources, since filmed volume!? c;::a.n be shared more easily than the <;>:i:igina.ls. The libraries that have active p:reservation programs are often quite di~te:rerrt;. f:roin the libraries that conduct public;: humanities pro1ects. The New York Public Library is one Qf the few where these two N~H p:r:ograms come together. In fact, our preservation pro9:i:a,lD. often treats fragile materials so that they can tnen l:>e exhibited to the public in a project supported by 1;:be I:IY.Jl\.anities Projects in tibtar,i.e$ and Archives Program. This fine p:i;og~a.Jn ;i$ o;Eten a vehicle for m~~ii-:n9' t_b~ ~PJ..:i.t~ 9~ :tec;:en:~ re§e~rc;h in the humanities avg;iJg.J;>le to a broad public. For example, at: 'l'he New York Public Library, ou_r prog:r~m!? <;>n tbe bic~ntennial of the u. s. - .!? -I am plea§led that our sister ihst,ituti~>Il$ have always supported the 1.miCilJ.e nature of NEH funding to NYPL. For the past tb:re~ years the NYPL has received this §>pecial NEH support through the Ch~llenge Grants program. The e~i$tence of this program is a resu,lt c;>f Congressional recognition that the humanities would be well sened hot just by i:;upport for projects, but by strengthening the financial underpirm_ingi:; of the ins ti tut ions where tJ:i~ humanities t:b:¥ive. The Challenge Grants pro9'~~m bas been enormously successful, and :rem.a.ins in great demand. The annual succe·ss rate of applicants is QlllY 20%, and even successful applicants <;iQ not: always receive the full amou,nt :reCNested. I firmly believe that tb.e ~ind of basic, substantial E;\lpport tb_at Challenge Grants provide does ·a_s much to contribute to the heal th of the J:ium_ani ties in this country as do sc;>me specialized projects. I recommenQ. e~pa.nsion of Challenge Grants fl.l,nc:Ung so that the opportunities fo:r c;>ttuar i_n_$titutions to receive these grants w:i,J.l l;>e more numerous and more substantial. These t:_bree areas are ones with which I am faJn.ilJa;i::-, wher$ I know the need is great. T.berre are 1:$Urely others. My colleagues who teach will sureJ.y l:u~ able to recommend ways in which NEH resources can help st:rengt._hen education. The fine work of tbe stat:e h\J,manities councils could })~ve even greater - 1 -:hnp~ct if additional funds were available. 'l:'he NElf b~E:I enormous opportunities t9 ~trengthen our intellectual ~e§QU:t"ces, improve the quality of tbe ec:iqc~tion of ou:t; young people, p~~§lei:ve our nation's rich history, and exemplify C;i~IDQQ~~t:ic principals of free public access to import~nt ideas and traditions. The a9ency :i,.~ going a magnificent job. With your help, they can do even mo:r~. - 8 -

Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990): Speech 05

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Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990): Speech 05

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