Report of Regents Cultural Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your Committee on Cultural Education had its scheduled meeting on May 7, 2018. Regent Roger Tilles, Chair of the Cultural Education Committee, submitted the following written report. In attendance were committee members: Regent Tilles, Chair, Regent Cottrell, Regent Chin, Regent Ouderkirk, Regent Johnson and Regent Mead. Regents, in addition to CE Committee Members, in attendance were: Chancellor Rosa, Regent Hakanson, Regent Mittler, Regent Young, and Regent Reyes. Also in attendance were Commissioner Elia, Executive Deputy Commissioner Berlin, 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;

• In 1956, the museum acquired a cultural item as part of a larger collection purchased from the Albert G. Heath Collection at the Logan Museum of Anthropology at Beloit College in Beloit, WI. The sacred object, a Grandfather Drum, identified by representatives of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, was repatriated to representatives of the Odawa on April 23, 2018. Odawa representatives came to the State Museum from Michigan, toured the galleries, and met with our anthropology team and received the sacred Grandfather Drum.  
• State Archaeologist, Dr. Christina Rieth, received the Founder’s Award from the New York Archaeological Council on April 28th.  This award recognizes individuals who have made substantive contributions to New York archaeology and historic preservation. Dr. Rieth was cited for her long service as New York State Archaeologist and Director of the Museum’s Cultural Resource Survey Program, public outreach, and her New York-based archaeological research.
• The State Museum opened two exhibitions; Art of Erie Canal which will be open from April 28 – September 23, 2018 and “a small fort, which our people call Fort Orange” which is open through May 5, 2020.
• James Neal, President of the American Library Association spoke on Wednesday April 25 in the Huxley theater on as part of the New York State Library’s 200th celebration.
• On May 10th at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library, a one-day summit for Ready to Read certified trainers and statewide partners will explore additional early learning topics.

New York State Museum’s Geologic Mapping Program [CE (D) 1]

Dr. Andrew Kozlowski from the New York State Museum provided an overview and update of mapping the geology of New York that started in 1836 as the New York State Geological and Natural History Survey. Since 1992, the Museum has participated in the United States Geological Survey’s, National Cooperative Mapping program. This program provides annual funding for state geological surveys to map surficial deposits and bedrock. Dr. Kozlowski reviewed how modern geologic maps are generated through a combination of fieldwork, laboratory work, and computer-aided drafting, and how geologic mapping contributes to our understanding of New York’s geologic history.

WCNY Creates and Delivers Innovative Local and Statewide Educational Programming [CE (D) 2]

Julie Daniels, Director of Education Television and Public Broadcasting introduced representatives from WCNY; Robert J. Daino, President and CEO and Debbie Stack, Senior Director of Interactive Education & Community Engagement.  WCNY provided an overview of how working with community stakeholders and diverse partners, they develope and deliver standards-based, engaging hands-on educational experiences for students and educators. This includes: Enterprise America, an experiential learning program that combines classroom instruction with the real-world experience of operating a 21st century model city; a NYS accredited two-year embedded Career and Technical Education Media Marketing Communications program; Double Down an academic quiz show; Regents Review 2.0, a statewide broadcast and online Regents exam preparation program supporting all ten NYS Regents exams; and interactive classroom lessons for PBS LearningMedia.