[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATING THE NEW JERSEY COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES

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                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2012

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the forty 
years of service that the New Jersey Council for the Humanities has 
provided for my constituents in the twelfth congressional district and 
for residents throughout New Jersey. It is only appropriate that I take 
time in advance of October, National Arts and Humanities Month, to 
honor the important work that the Council does to engage New Jerseyans 
in discussions of history, literature, and culture that help residents 
reflect on our past and think critically about our future.
  When Congress and President Johnson created the National Endowment 
for the Humanities (NEH) in 1965, they laid the groundwork for 
improving the study of the diverse heritage, traditions, and history of 
our nation. Indeed, the NEH has opened many doors for scholars and 
cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and archives to 
further their research and share their findings. Since its founding, 
the NEH has helped Americans better understand America.
  Yet, upon signing the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, President 
Johnson remarked wisely ``. . . these actions, and others soon to 
follow, cannot alone achieve our goals. To produce true and lasting 
results, our States and municipalities, our schools and our great 
private foundations, must join forces with us.'' In 1972, Congress 
heeded President Johnson's insight, and amended the Arts and Humanities 
Act to establish state Councils that would facilitate public 
programming unique to each state.
  The New Jersey Council for the Humanities began its efforts in 1972 
to provide an endless stream of programming that invites New Jerseyans 
to consider the past and think creatively about our future. By 
providing financial support for conferences, documentaries, 
publications, lectures, and forums, the Council offers the opportunity 
to learn more about our shared history and the traditions of others 
without cost to New Jersey residents. The New Jersey Council for the 
Humanities enables New Jerseyans to become consumers of history, 
informed commentators on our present, and architects of our future.
  As a former educator, I am grateful for the New Jersey Council for 
the Humanities' dedication to enhancing history education in our 
schools. In an age of narrowing school curriculum across our country, 
arts, foreign language, history and other subjects have been pushed 
aside by the intense focus on tests and tested subjects. To help keep 
history alive in our classrooms, the Council offers an annual seminar 
known as the ``Teacher Institute'' for New Jersey primary and secondary 
school teachers to refresh and deepen their knowledge on key moments 
and themes of our past. The Teacher Institute has helped over 3,700 
educators gain exposure to rich new content and benefit their students 
by bringing their knowledge back to the classroom. Thanks to the New 
Jersey Council for the Humanities, we are graduating more well-rounded 
and historically aware students.
  In addition to enhancing the appreciation of humanities in the 
classroom, the Council promotes lifelong learning in public and private 
life. The New Jersey Council for the Humanities' extensive programming 
not only benefits school teachers and their students, but also writers, 
publishers, hospitals, libraries, civics groups, and colleges and 
universities in every corner of New Jersey.
  I have heard from many of my constituents who inform me that the 
Council makes our community a better place to live. One resident in 
Monroe who works with senior citizens, for example, expressed to me 
that the state humanities councils advance ``the mental and 
intellectual well-being of our seniors.'' A local middle school teacher 
shared with me that despite having served on the faculty of a major 
research university, her knowledge to share with students ``was 
deepened'' by the Council's Teacher Institute. Others have conveyed the 
depth and strength of the Council's Horizon Speaker's Bureau, which 
provides educational lectures on topics ranging from the legendary 
Jersey Devil to Shakespeare's Hamlet, and to the U.S. Constitution for 
thousands of New Jerseyans every year. Simply put by a constituent from 
Lawrence, ``the state [C]ouncil is the neighborhood face of the 
humanities.''
  My own experiences with the New Jersey Council for the Humanities 
have paralleled the positive testimonials constituents have shared with 
me. Each year, I eagerly await the Council's announcement of the Book, 
Teacher of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities Awards. 
By honoring the recipients of these distinctions, the New Jersey 
Council recognizes exemplary work in the public humanities that has 
made a significant and lasting difference in the lives of New 
Jerseyans. Previous award winners include Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah in 
2011 for his book The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen, Sylvia 
Nasar in 1999 for A Beautiful Mind, and Neil Baldwin in 1996 for 
Edison: Inventing the Century. I am proud to display in my 
Congressional office a collection of many of the past New Jersey 
Council for the Humanities Award winners, including works by twelfth 
congressional district constituents such as historian James McPherson, 
novelist Joyce Carol Oates, and the late poet and translator Robert 
Fagles.
  The New Jersey Council has been dedicated for forty years to 
promoting public knowledge and love of New Jersey's rich history and 
culture. I look forward to the years to come when the New Jersey 
Council for the Humanities will continue to build upon its activities 
of the past forty years and continue to support and foster the exchange 
of ideas that creates a thoughtful and engaged society.

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