Report of the Under Secretary 



Constance Berry Newman 



A Core Commitment to Excellence 



The public knows to expect excellence from the Smithson- 

 ian. Whethet visiting a museum on the Mall, attending 

 Smithsonian Associates events in theit hometowns, 01 

 browsing the Web site, people ate confident that they will 

 have an experience of the highest quality. This dedication to 

 excellence permeates the Institution, and not just in the visi- 

 ble programs that the public enjoys. 



The reports in this section of the annual report highlight 

 the pursuit of excellence behind the scenes, where staff 

 members provide essential support for the Institution's mu- 

 seum and research activities. Stimulating programs from 

 The Smithsonian Associates, for example, open a world of 

 knowledge to those who patticipate, but first it takes tal- 

 ented staff to develop the content, orchestrate the logistics, 

 and make the experience a rewarding one. Visitors to the 

 National Museum of Natural History enjoy the expanded 

 facilities and services in the new Discovery Center, thanks in 

 part to several years of intense effort by staff in the various 

 Operations units who helped make this addition to the 

 Smithsonian landscape a reality. Our dedicated volunteers — 

 this year, some 5 ,400 strong — make their own special 

 contributions to excellence in just about every corner of the 

 Institution. 



Sustaining excellence requires more than hard work, high 

 standards, and the will to succeed. For the Smithsonian, reli- 

 able and steady commercial revenue sources are increasingly 

 essential as we look fot ways to support our programs and 

 create new ones that serve widening audiences. 



This year, the Smithsonian strengthened its commitment 

 to developing and expanding for-profit business activities by 

 establishing Smithsonian Business Ventures, a separate en- 

 tity within the Institution with its own board of directors. 

 Gary Beer, the chief executive officer, oversees Smithsonian 



magazines, museum shops, mail-order catalogues, conces- 

 sions, commercial alliances, media-content products, direct 

 marketing, and product development and licensing. Beer, 

 who joined the Smithsonian near the end of this fiscal year, 

 guided a similar venture to success when he was ptesident 

 and CEO of the Sundance Group, the for-profit arm of the 

 Sundance organization founded by Robert Redford. 



Underlying this organizational change is the same com- 

 mitment to excellence that has driven the Smithsonian for 

 all of its 153 yeats. During I. Michael Heyman's five years as 

 Secretary, we have continued to explore new realms — physi- 

 cal, intellectual, and electronic. Now we are responding to 

 present needs while thinking ahead to the Smithsonian's 

 possible future roles and anticipating how we will support 

 them. As the reports in this volume suggest, the various 

 organizations that make up the Smithsonian are always look- 

 ing at ways to fulfill their missions more effectively. As long 

 as the commitment to excellence is at the heart of everything 

 we do, we cannot help but succeed. 



Musica de las Americas 



In a celebration of Latino music traditions that the Washing- 

 ton Post called "sizzling," "superb," and "invigorating," The 

 Smithsonian Associates presented its ground-breaking 

 "Musica de las Americas" program. This series of six 

 monthly concerts and complementary panel discussions ex- 

 plored the continuing influence of Latin styles on popular 

 music in the United States. Top musicians performed in 

 highly praised concerts that focused on popular Latin Ameri- 

 can musical genres: mambo and Afro-Cuban jazz, merengue, 

 con junto norteno, tango, bossa nova and cool jazz, and salsa 

 and Latin jazz. Brazilian jazz icon Leny Andrade, the Machito 



