Report of Regents Cultural Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your Committee on Cultural Education had its scheduled meeting on June 12, 2018. Regent Roger Tilles, Chair of the Cultural Education Committee, submitted the following written report. In attendance were committee members: Regent Tilles, Chair, Regent Cea, Regent Cottrell, Regent Chin, Regent Ouderkirk and Regent Mead. Regents, in addition to CE Committee Members, in attendance were: Chancellor Rosa, Vice Chancellor Brown, Regent Collins, Regent Mittler, and Regent Reyes. Also in attendance were Commissioner Elia, Executive Deputy Commissioner Berlin, Senior Deputy Commissioner for Educational Policy Jhone Ebert, and Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs Alison Bianchi.

ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION

Chair’s Remarks: Regent Tilles welcomed everyone and introduced Deputy Commissioner Mark Schaming. Deputy Commissioner Schaming provided a brief report on Office of Cultural Education news and activities:

• Deputy Commissioner Schaming invited the Regents to attend a Museum Regents Advisory Council meeting on June 12 at 1:30pm. This meeting gathers museum professionals from across the state to discuss best practices and new initiatives.
• The State Museum recently repatriated Native American human remains and funerary objects from seven archaeological sites in Onondaga and Tioga counties to the Onondaga Nation.
• The State Museum and Library recently hosted a visit from Doug Hamilton, whose ancestor was Alexander Hamilton (Regent from 1784-1787).
• The State Archives recently awarded six grants to organizations across the state for projects to improve access to and preservation of historical records. The Archives also awarded 104 Local Government Management Improvement grants for a total of $5.5 million for projects that include conversion of records to digital formats and preserving historical records.
• The New York State Summer School of the Arts is preparing for its next season with the schools of ballet, choral and visual arts opening at the end of June. All are invited to attend the public concerts and events.

Appointments to the Regents Advisory Council on Museums [CE (A) 1]

Members of the Museum Regents Advisory Council offer advice and consultation on issues of policy and service pursuant to the Board’s statutory mandate to operate the State Museum and oversee museums across New York State. The recommended appointments are Meg Ventrudo, Executive Director of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, and Peter Jemison, an accomplished Native American artist, curator, and writer whose artwork is in major collections across the nation, including at the National Museum of the American Indian and the Whitney Museum.

Motion: Regent Cottrell
Second: Regent Cea
Motion passed unanimously.

2018 Statewide Summer Reading Program [CE (D) 2]

Sharon Phillips, Coordinator of the Summer Reading at New York Libraries, delivered a presentation on the State Library’s annual summer reading program. Every year the State Library works in partnership with public library systems and local public libraries across the state. Summer Reading at New York Libraries is one of the most popular and heavily used programs of the State Library. Last year, over 2.2 million children and teens participated in summer reading programs at local public libraries in New York. Sharon also explained how the State Library works with schools to promote summer reading and the efforts underway to increase participation in the program and encourage collaboration between school districts and public libraries. As part of the 2018 summer reading program, the State Education Department and myON are partnering to bring thousands of enhanced digital books to children from birth through 8th grade and their families across the state.

State Archives Programs for Local Government Records Management [CE (D) 1]

New York State’s over 4,000 units of local government create and manage critical documentation for the communities they serve. Since 1988, State Archives and the Local Government Records Advisory Council have administered a program of grants, education and technical assistance to support local governments as they wrestle with the challenges of managing, preserving and making available a growing and increasingly complex documentary record. State Archivist Tom Ruller provided an overview of the program, highlighted initiatives that have had important impacts on records, and described the challenges and program priorities for the coming years.