[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 122 (Wednesday, September 19, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9498-S9500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFIRMATION OF BRUCE COLE AS CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR 
                             THE HUMANITIES

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to express my 
strong support for the nomination of Bruce Cole to be Chairman of the 
National Endowment for the Humanities.

[[Page S9499]]

Dr. Cole is a noted art historian and a Distinguished Professor at 
Indiana University. He served as Visiting Professor at Hebrew 
University in Jerusalem and previously held the Hohenberg Chair of 
Excellence at the University of Memphis. Dr. Cole is a former member of 
the National Council on the Humanities, and he will bring impressive 
stature and experience to the Humanities Endowment.
  We have been fortunate over the past three decades to have many 
distinguished academics and humanists lead this agency. I believe that 
Dr. Cole will serve in that tradition and be an impressive leader for 
this important agency.
  In conjunction with the consideration of his nomination by the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, I submitted a 
number of questions to Dr. Cole, and I wanted to share his answers with 
my colleagues. I ask unanimous consent that they may be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

            Questions by Senator Kennedy for Dr. Bruce Cole


                                GENERAL

       1. Do you support the mission of the National Endowment for 
     the Humanities and believe that there is a federal role in 
     support of the humanities?
       Answer: Yes. I believe firmly that the NEH plays a crucial, 
     and necessary role in our democracy. Although the NEH is a 
     small agency, its impact is great. As the only federal 
     program dedicated exclusively to the national dissemination 
     of the humanities, it affirms our government's support for 
     the humanities. This support is proper because the humanities 
     make us aware of our shared human condition and enlarge our 
     worldview. The humanities are the principal means of 
     transmitting our shared democratic values to future 
     generations. As a pivotal civilizing force in human life, the 
     humanities are essential to the well-being of any democracy 
     and all its citizenry.
       The importance of the humanities is recognized in the 
     National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act 
     establishing the NEH. This act states: ``That a high 
     civilization must not limit its efforts to science and 
     technology alone but must give full value and support to the 
     other great branches of scholarly and cultural activity in 
     order to achieve a better understanding of the past, a better 
     analysis of the present, and a better view of the future.'' 
     The legislation also states that ``democracy demands wisdom 
     and vision in its citizens'' and that ``the study of the 
     humanities requires constant dedication and devotion.'' These 
     words remain as true and meaningful today as when they were 
     written more than three and a half decades ago. If confirmed 
     I hope to serve the nation by furthering the NEH's mission to 
     make the humanities part of the lives of all Americans.
       2. Are there any circumstances under which you would 
     support the elimination of the agency?
       Answer: No.
       3. Due to budget cuts and the impact of inflation, the 
     NEH's spending power is about 30% of what it was in 1980. 
     This decline in funding has reduced the agency's reach and 
     impact. How do you view current funding of the agency? Will 
     you advocate for higher spending levels for NEH?
       Answer: I cannot answer this question presently because I 
     do not have detailed knowledge of the NEH's current budget 
     and how it is allocated. The proper size of the budget and 
     the distribution of funds among the various programs and 
     offices are important issues that shall command my immediate 
     attention if I am confirmed. As NEH Chairman I shall 
     devote my energies to ensuring that the NEH always has 
     funds sufficient to enable it to disseminate the 
     humanities to all sectors.


                        RESEARCH AND FELLOWSHIPS

       4. You bring distinguished academic credentials and 
     considerable experience to the NEH, what is your view of the 
     importance of scholarship in the humanities. How do you feel 
     these programs should balance other agency activities?
       Answer: As a researcher, author, and teacher I believe 
     strongly that support for humanities scholarship is one of 
     the Endowment's most important activities. Serious 
     scholarship adds directly to our knowledge and understanding 
     of the humanities and forms the basis for public humanities 
     programming such as NEH-supported television documentaries 
     and museum exhibitions. Humanities scholarship also informs 
     and enriches classroom teaching.
       The NEH's broad mandate to support the humanities requires 
     that it maintain a balance of different grant programs and 
     activities--including education, preservation, public 
     programming, research and scholarship, as well as challenge 
     grants and the Federal/State program areas. I am committed to 
     supporting the best grant proposals in all of the agency's 
     programs.
       5. Over the past 20 years, the proportion of NEH 
     appropriations for scholarly activity has declined as a 
     percentage of the budget. Do you feel that this is 
     appropriate? Do you have any thoughts at this time about 
     programmatic priorities for the agency?
       Answer: If I have the privilege of serving as the Chairman 
     of the NEH, I will carefully examine the agency's budget and 
     history to determine if scholarly activity is receiving an 
     appropriate level of support. As a professor and department 
     chairman who has worked in the humanities for over thirty 
     years, and as a recipient of an NEH fellowship which was 
     critical for my development as a scholar, I know that NEH is 
     often the sole source of funding for humanities scholarship. 
     NEH funding for individual fellowships and for large-scale 
     collaborative research projects remains a fundamental factor 
     in the growth and development of talented scholars and 
     teachers in the humanities.
       6. NEH has been a key national resource for the collection 
     and editing of the papers of American presidents and other 
     important historical and literary figures. What priority 
     would you assign this type of project?
       Answer: In my view NEH support for these projects 
     epitomizes the vital role the agency plays in creating 
     humanities resources for scholars, students, and citizens 
     alike. NEH's involvement in projects that are producing 
     scholarly editions is one of the agency's crowning glories. 
     These projects stand among the most important and long-
     lasting contributions the NEH can make to the advancement of 
     the humanities and to the understanding of our past and 
     present. Providing adequate resources to these and other 
     excellent humanities projects will be one of my priorities 
     if the Senate honors me with confirmation as NEH Chairman.


                           education programs

       7. How do you feel that the agency can best support 
     humanities in the higher education community?
       Answer: Higher education projects supported by the 
     Endowment--notably, the annual roster of summer seminars and 
     institutes for college and university teachers--have long-
     term impact because they concentrate on helping humanities 
     instructors become better teachers. The beneficiaries of 
     these projects are the students who are reached by these 
     intellectually engaged teachers. I think that the agency can 
     best serve higher education by continuing to support model 
     projects like these that others can emulate. I understand 
     that the Endowment has also been quite active in recent years 
     in encouraging projects that make use of the Internet and 
     other electronic technologies to teach history, literature, 
     languages, and other humanities subjects. While I expect to 
     continue to encourage humanities projects that employ digital 
     technology, I plan also to consult with NEH staff and with 
     humanities educators to explore other ways the Endowment 
     might strengthen its work in higher education.
       8. Do you think that NEH should strengthen teacher training 
     in the humanities in elementary schools?
       Answer: Yes. The NEH already does this most effectively 
     through its Seminars and Institutes for School Teachers 
     program. These programs make school teachers students again 
     for a few weeks as they study a great range of significant 
     humanities topics, such as Milton's Paradise Lost, the 
     fiction of Willa Cather, the history and culture of the 
     American West or the Civil Rights Movement, the theater of 
     Antonio Buero Vallejo, Dante's Divine Comedy, American Indian 
     narratives, Mozart and his Vienna, cultural responses to the 
     Holocaust in America, and so on. These programs help teachers 
     renew and revitalize their understanding of specific areas of 
     the humanities and better communicate them to their students. 
     I think that it is critically important that American 
     elementary and secondary school children be taught by 
     instructors who are well-versed in the subjects they teach. 
     As someone who has helped design humanities programs for 
     schools, I understand that promoting the humanities in the 
     elementary grades, as well as in other grades, is of 
     paramount importance and worthy of an appropriate level of 
     NEH support.


                       Federal/state partnerships

       9. The state humanities councils receive an earmark of 
     about 30% of the agency's programmatic appropriations. This 
     partnership between the federal and state entities is an 
     effective tool to expand the reach of humanities programs and 
     relatively scarce financial resources. Do you feel that the 
     present distribution of programming funds is appropriate?
       Answer: I enthusiastically support the state humanities 
     councils. They extend the reach of the NEH to a vast audience 
     through programs tailored to meet local needs, and they 
     strengthen the cultural and educational infrastructure 
     throughout America. These councils enrich the lives and 
     understanding not only of those who inhabit America's great 
     cities but also of those who live in the nation's many small 
     towns. I have followed the activities of the Indiana 
     Humanities Council for years and am impressed by its 
     creativity, reach, and impact. The Endowment and the state 
     councils are both very good at what they do; their efforts 
     complement one another. I would like to strengthen and expand 
     this historic partnership, which has fostered progress and 
     excellence in the humanities for the American people. The 
     state councils have my strong backing.
       Because I do not know exactly what the funding needs of the 
     state councils are, I cannot give an informed answer to this 
     question until I have an opportunity to study in

[[Page S9500]]

     detail all the budget issues related to the agency's 
     programs.
       10. Do you agree that state humanities councils should also 
     be eligible to compete for other programming funds?
       Answer: The state humanities councils serve their audiences 
     well and I understand from NEH staff that in recent years 
     state councils have been eligible to compete for funding in 
     other programming areas of the NEH. This has, I am told, 
     resulted in support for a number of excellent projects. As 
     with the previous question on the state council's overall 
     budget, I cannot give an informed answer to this question 
     until I have had an opportunity to study this policy in 
     detail.
       11. Do you see additional roles for the state humanities 
     councils in expanding the scope and reach of the Endowment's 
     programs?
       Answer: If confirmed I look forward to conferring with 
     state council chairs and directors and the Endowment's staff 
     to see if the councils could be even more effective than they 
     are now in helping the NEH fulfill its mission. As I said 
     above, I am a strong supporter of the state humanities 
     councils and the excellent work they do.


                      regional humanities centers

       12. What priority will you place on the development of 
     Regional Humanities Centers?
       Answer: I was an early supporter of the regional centers 
     idea when the project was in its embryonic stage. However, I 
     do not now know enough about how this initiative has 
     progressed to offer an informed opinion. If confirmed, I will 
     make a considered judgment about its priority.


                               enterprise

       13. Due to budget cuts and an interest in expanding the 
     reach of the agency's programs, NEH has placed increased 
     emphasis on raising private funds to support its own 
     activities and to supplement grants to other organizations. 
     Do you feel that the agency should actively pursue private 
     funds?
       Answer: If given the honor and opportunity to serve as 
     Chairman of NEH my central task will be to make sure that the 
     funds Congress appropriates to the NEH are spent wisely and 
     in the service of our citizenry. I do not expect that the NEH 
     would engage often in activities that would require it to 
     raise monies in addition to its federal appropriation. Should 
     that occur I would make sure that such fund-raising is done 
     in a way that would not compete with NEH grantees and other 
     important cultural institutions that may also be looking to 
     the private sector support.

                          ____________________