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University of Rhode IslandDigitalCommons@URICurran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing (1985) Education: National Endowment for the Arts andHumanities, Subject Files I (1973-1996)1985Curran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing (1985):News Article 05Mary BattiataFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_20This News Article 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 Curran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing (1985) by an authorizedadministrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@etal.uri.edu.Recommended CitationBattiata, Mary, "Curran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing (1985): News Article 05" (1985). Curran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing(1985). Paper 22.http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_20/22http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_20/22L . , ·;--. -,--.;~~-:·_.-...,~_,...._,-_-__,ft·_ .. ,~.~,,-~·--.... -.~_-_,·----..,..,~...,.·.-, .. r .; e.1• '.··;:.··l, ( rami.nee:""' ,,_· 1 i, .·' :,·itiitiieflijfiiit ; .'., ·.~--~~~,- _;'.-.:.·'·t :e·:_ ·<'?' : ~ ''. ·. ~-~·'.~- : ~~:· ,'• , '. . · ' .. }\$¢1*to~ Qu~tion-: .. : · ·,.. ·: . AI~~ait::Q~(i~µo~.· ... ~ ~ •.•,~·;," .·.~ .. ;·'j· _ _'r;:·.: .. ,·,··,·,_~i.. ::'1'•' ." .·, .•··<~--.~;;.~:;~:,·) :. ' .. •·tia~~in,i~tratron'~: .contrQvei:sw· nom-.. ·. i ... " ;,~ro~ -)(bi.th~:~ ch~s~p ;of, :the. ' .. 1 ·: :,·· -:';'.f~~µ9d,al.~Endown,tent''f9r ~.~~;;Hu;.,·~· ~ ,. · .: :·)>m~i~•·Y~~y·tound ·ms'~eg.:- y, . ~ . · ··/!~:!&rrJ:~~~u:~~-·:; ! ',_ · ~ .;)~~gs-fot'i iPS~oct~_il'.Cie8~1?b.ed ¥:>: i · '· :-:,Jifttte·datio~'s,.teadin humarust"'" ·. · ·1 , . . ",l·~C c' ~.L.::....;.,'"I ·~ . • _g b' . " • c .,, .. " \ . .:'~~;. "M~,.:a:1Qro1et:· .~Of .. " . 1 tthe ·;National' Cathedral Scltool'.;fQr--· . . ":)'Gifl~~d pre~e!J(~ty'clii'e®>i: ¢:. --~ · :.i.!the·f~ce·~~:.~~de· headlin~~' ~':; 1 'J.t~AA~~en·~e"*~-,tp· Pre_sid~-< ':! . ~· -'. '. f.~~~!J,.~g~tfuB:J~e, abi;iliti~~ qt•;'.~ : · .. '. ;,~·the~~~Hnstitute· of Education;... · " ')l{S~=tfif"J . . ~f f"f'Th .. , litical'"left n · ·.·. · ···. • . t · I ',. ··.·tii;~;-~:~::,e·;~:~!~~-~f:~ .. ~-:,: ~i .. ,»~~\iS#D!.,.~-.,-· "'~-' P~. I · .·· :-;~ ~:~~.Wi@.d'.',dQ:·:,his;,.ne§.t1o:$1Jr~ .·' . :·~ : : ··tntita·.~ ~utJ~~wotkL~ '-.:. ' '·· :_ ~ · .··· ~(:\~~r!t;;~~~:~~~~~;t~.~"·' ;~ ::. ·~·.··;the .De~ment 1 .Qf. Edti~ationc.~<t ,;.:. ~ J ~ •• '··~·~. ': .• ::' ,' .. ~· ' t.., ' . '•. • «., .·.'·" ,,~:,.:Q· . 1,,1;.__ . I . .. ·'''\' : .. :• ~OORRAN 'D~Ci>t-1 ;,., .. ';.<!-"' : .. ' I :-__ '.)":JL~/<~:1~1~i] .... f .. I ·1 . ' I ,· . I . ; I • I .;.· .-,~ 06. THURSDAY, O~BER 3, 19.85 ... RI NEH . Nominee mmRAN, FrOm DI the Peace Corps. that prompted a · · lineup of senators, ·mcludilig Clai-borne Pell (D-R.I.), Edward M. Kennedy CD-Mass.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.}, Lowell P. Weicker (R-Conn;), Paul Simon (D-Il.J.) and John Kerry (D-Mas$.), to questi9n · Curran closely and at times harshly . · about his plans for the humanities endowment. · · "Ther~·s a saying that goes 'Once· · · EDwAlD A. CURRAN · · · .,: ' shame 9n yo1,1; twi~e ··shame. on ._ . · · · me,'" Weicker · told · Clirran. . Ct.irran's respon5es· fo questioo-"What's at issue • . . is testimony · ing yesterday ·seemed to do little to before this very-~Ol_llillittee that.~$ . reas81ire the scho~ts testifying· and clearly at oddS witti s~~UeJ!~ in the- audit'ln'ce: !~he 1leating w'as . events. And now here wear~ again, disturbing," said' O~B .. Hardisoo; · · . and you've m3de statements stii>-. chaiiinan ·Of· the b0artl-0f the Wash-. portive of the National Endowment; irigton•basM Humanities Alliance, but ..• God knows if you won't get art associatiOn .that represents rnore · · in there and find more members of than 100,000 hwnanities'.schotars. the 'left' and decide that abolishing ''We:-feeJ.that some grave questions the agency is the way to deaL with · · d d · · l·t." . . . . . were raise , an our ci>ncetn ls : . deepening." · / The hearing appeared to raise as'. ·senators. Pell and Kennedy said. many questions as it answei:ed, and they had received more than · 150 is likely to prolong the controversy letters between them from constit-over a nomination that has been uents and humanities groups con-, stalled for months. The NEH dis- cerried about Curran's . nomination. tributes more than $100 million in Pell said it was difficult to recruit federal money each 'year for scbol- academics to testify . against- Cur-arly research and has been a' leader 'I in the effort to revive humanities ran's nomination, because they fear studies in the nation's schools. l9ss of NEH money should he be confirmed. Curran, who downed 10 glasses The White House .named Curran· . of water dunng th~ four-hour hear- nine months ago to succeed William. ing, told the members of the Senate Bennett, who left-the chairmanship· ·Labor and Human Resources Com-mittee that he had learned.to work to became secretuy. of education. through ~bannels since 8er:rding the Since then Curran's nomination ~s R 1 d l ed · languished in the .. Seeate. reported• . eagan etter, an p edg to "give ly -s.talled by oongress. i,Qnal ....... ..ier-- , my utmost" to ensure that the en- """" downient "is a visible leader in suP. ates and humanities grot,1ps. porting and encouraging the best of C!urtan, 52,. became:·headmastel'.. Ameriea's effort in the humanities." at the National Cathedral School In Curran's supporters, who include 1968 after working as a teacher at. committee Chairman Orrin G. a private boys' school in Houston, Hatch (R-Utah), have maintained where he got to kn~w Vice Pres- . · . ·that Curran's career as a secondary ideJlt. G~rge Bush. In 1980 he sch<?ol administrator makes him the wor~q as a v~lunteer on the Rea-ideal man to lead the endowment in . · g;ln-~ ,campaign before becom~ its quest to increase the role of the · ing_ ~iate . direct~r of. presiden-humanities in American high. ~~t;$0Rnel at.the White House . schools and universities. They have -~n was llCCompanied yester-portrayed opposition to the ·nomi- day by his. wif~, Nancy dufont Cur-nation as elitist. ran; and an aunt, and remained in Curran's .critics have i><>inted out · the committee. room for the entire that he lacks a PhD. Yesterday's four-hour hearing, ·sitting ·without objections, however, • !J?P,,e~~ J.!0 . ex.w.~~i9!'t as two ·influential aca-. have less· to do witja~#B!~ ~l-1 d.ruiJi~~fied .tha! t. hey could not atively few academ.J<e;~imtials ~~;pi~nommat1on. . . · '· · (he has an MAT from Duke::lJftiver- .~·i1.~~··ctre lots of distingwshed sity) than his limited· experience· htiinan1sts who have no PhDs," said with scholarly re5earch .or ~riting Theodore J. Ziolkowski, president and his rec9rd at the Department of of the Mode!q Language Associa-· · Education and the Peace Corps.. . tion .fu Princeton, ''but we wouldn't Cuqari ;was forced. to. resign his . w~~rY. ~b<?ufthe~ beca~ ,w~J~w . position at the National Instit11te.ef t~.e1t,yalµe,§ .. .fr.9Jl1Jhei( ls¢~9la!'JY.},, Ed~ation after he.~laa~edrrwith hisi ~oi" : ·,. " ., . '. :1 • • ••• boss,· then-Education .sec~etaxy '-. ., 'th'l~chaef~r,,-exeeut1ve \'lee Terrel Bell, over the Jette'r to' Re"a-.1 ~H . ll9~of UCLA, echoed those gan. · · · · · · - - sentim~nt!i. "I believe the presiden-. At the Peace Corp$, Cu&an. has ··tjal nomination is insensitive and crossed swords with bis boss, Di~. .·~ ilf~ppropriate. No ~tter. ho_w. any . rector Loret Ruppe, on numerou~ one of my colleagues might ·have occasions. Their dispute has been felt about Joe Duffy or Ron Berman described· as personal and ideolog- . [NEH chairmen· under president$ ical, and reached a nadir last year Carter, Nixon and Ford], both had a when Ruppe was djseovered t.o have record as outstanding teachers. and secretly tape-recorded a conversa- outstanding scholars,. and becau5e t'on $e had with Curran about the of. that the endowment was ac.cept· continuing rancor in their relation- ed and nourished . by the scholarly ship. Since then, Ruppe· reportedly community." has given Curran few key assign- It was undear at the close of the·. ments ;md excluded him from most· hearings when Curran's nomination . key meetings. will come to a vote. · 

Curran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing (1985): News Article 05

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Curran, Edward: Confirmation Hearing (1985): News Article 05

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