[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 82 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S6886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VERMONT COUNCIL ON THE HUMANITIES

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I am pleased today to recognize 
the Vermont Council on the Humanities on the occasion of its 25th 
anniversary.
  In 1965, Congress created the National Endowment for the Humanities 
(NEH) with the goal of promoting and supporting research, education, 
and public programs in the humanities. The mission of the NEH was to 
make the worlds of history, language, literature and philosophy a part 
of the lives of more Americans. Over the past three decades, the NEH 
has lived up to its founding mission and has made the humanities more 
accessible. As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and 
Pensions Committee, which has jurisdiction over the agency, I have been 
extraordinarily proud to support NEH during my years in Congress.
  NEH brings the humanities to our lives in many unique and exciting 
ways. NEH makes grants for preserving historic resources like books, 
presidential papers, and newspapers. It provides support for 
interpretive exhibitions, television and radio programs. The agency 
facilitates basic research and scholarship in the humanities. And NEH 
strengthens teacher education in the humanities through its summer 
institutes and seminars. Yet, in my view, one of the most important 
ways that NEH broadens our understanding of the humanities is through 
the support it provides for state humanities councils. These state 
humanities councils, at the grassroots level, encourage participation 
in locally initiated humanities projects. Every state has one, but few 
are as innovative, creative and self-sufficient as the Vermont Council 
on the Humanities.
  Early on, the Vermont Council on the Humanities determined that the 
first step in engaging Vermonters in the humanities was to ensure that 
all Vermonters were able to read. The Vermont Humanities Council met 
this challenge head on and provided support for reading programs and 
book discussions targeted at people of all levels of literacy--from the 
Connections programs which serve adult new readers to the scholar-led 
discussions held in public libraries. In 1996, the Council initiated 
the Creating Communities of Readers program. Five Vermont communities 
received grants to help them achieve full literacy for their 
communities. This undertaking of ``creating a state in which every 
individual reads, participates in public affairs and continues to learn 
throughout life,'' involves an enormous commitment. Yet, undaunted by 
the enormity of the challenge, the Vermont Humanities Council stepped 
to the plate and hit a home run.
  Vermont has taken quite literally the mission of bringing the 
humanities to everyone and, in doing so, the Vermont Council has 
distinguished itself as a national leader in promoting reading as a 
path towards participation in the humanities. Recently, the Vermont 
Council received a national award of $250,000 from the NEH to implement 
humanities based book discussions for adult new readers nationwide. 
Through this national Connections program, 14,000 children's books will 
become part of the home libraries of adults who are learning to read.
  There is much we can gain from studying the humanities. The small 
amount of money that the federal government spends on NEH goes a long 
way toward building a national community. Coming together to learn from 
literature, learn from our past, and learn from each other is, in my 
view, an extraordinarily valuable use of our public dollars.
  Twenty-five years ago, the Vermont Humanities Council chose the road 
less traveled, and that has made all the difference in Vermont and in 
the nation. The Council, with its focus on literacy, chose to 
experiment by developing new and different ways of bringing the 
humanities to all Vermonters. By choosing to move to the beat of its 
own drum, the Vermont Humanities Council has become a unique and 
independent actor promoting the importance of literacy as a means of 
pursuing the humanities.
  In honor of this twenty-fifth anniversary, I offer my sincere 
congratulations to the Vermont Council on the Humanities for a job well 
done. I would also like to offer a special note of gratitude to Victor 
Swenson and the Council's extraordinary Board of Directors. Victor's 
leadership and the commitment of the Board has made our Council a 
shining example of excellence. Keep up the good work.

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