Reports of the Bureaus 

 and Offices of 

 the Smithsonian 

 Institution for Fiscal 

 Year 1995 



The Provost 



Office of the Provost 



Robert S. Hoffmann. Acting Provost 



On October 31, 1994, Secretary Heyman combined the offices 

 of three assistant secretaries to establish the Office of the Pro- 

 vost and appointed former Assistant Secretary for the Sciences 

 Robert Hoffmann as acting provost. The creation of this office 

 marked a major step in the strategic planning of a more effi- 

 cient and effective Institution. The Office of the Provost 

 plans, coordinates, facilitates, and evaluates the Institution's 

 activities in research, collections management, exhibitions, ed- 

 ucation, and cultural programs. 



During the year, the Office of the Provost initiated activi- 

 ties to commemorate the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary 

 year. Major programs include a lecture series to accompany 

 the traveling exhibition, "America's Smithsonian"; "The Un- 

 seen Smithsonian," a photographic exhibition illustrating the 

 diversity and breadth of research interests pursued by 

 Smithsonian scholars; an endowed chair in museum studies at 

 George Washington University; lectures and panel discus- 

 sions at scholarly and professional organization meetings 

 across the United States; and behind-the-scene tours of pro- 

 gram units that help staff and volunteers appreciate and un- 

 derstand institutional activities. 



The 25-member Smithsonian Council assessed the 

 Smithsonian's anthropological and cultural studies pro- 

 grams, as well as programs of the Smithsonian's conserva- 

 tion biology community and the Conservation Training 

 Council. » 



Through James Smithson Trust funds — the Research 

 Opportunities Fund, Restricted Endowment Funds, Scholarly 

 Studies Program, Special Exhibition Fund, Collections-Based 

 Research Fund, and Educational Outreach Fund — the office 

 distributed awards to museums, research institutes, labora- 

 tories, and other offices. The awards support innovative scien- 

 tific endeavors', exhibitions that broaden public 

 understanding of Smithsonian collections; and education, cul- 

 tural interpretation, and audience development programs. 



The office initiated Institution-wide discussions and work- 

 shops focusing on recent exhibitions and research that re- 

 sulted in new guidelines and improved procedures for 

 exhibition planning. 



The Council of Museum Education Directors organized a 

 Smithsonian-wide conference that reviewed national educa- 

 tion reform goals and guidelines and presented local, national, 

 and Smithsonian examples of the museum community's in- 

 volvement in education reform. 



Smithsonian scholars from the sciences and the humanities 

 gathered at a conference focusing on the history and contribu- 

 tions of Smithsonian researchers. "What about Increase? The 

 First Science and Humanities Dialogue" fostered a spirit of 

 community, shared goals, and cooperative endeavor. 



The office continued support for the Material Culture 

 Forum and the History Roundtable, which hold regular dis- 

 cussions on topics that cross disciplines, thereby encouraging 

 communication and collegial work among research staff. 



The Wider Audience Development Program coordinated 

 nearly 30 lectures, films, performances, and other educational 

 programs to explore different facets ot America's multicultu- 

 ral heritage. 



The office supported several Smithsonian units in organiz- 

 ing programs for Asian and Asian American communities. 



The Accessibility Lecture Series offered 10 programs to staff 

 from the Smithsonian and from cultural organizations in the 

 Washington, DC, area on topics such as universal design and 

 audio description for performances. 



"Ocean Planet," a traveling exhibition on ocean conserva- 

 tion organized by the Environmental Awareness Program, 

 opened at the National Museum of Natural History. 



Sciences 



Conservation Analytical Laboratory 



Lambertus van Zelst. Director 



Several events early in the year had ma]or effects on CAL's pro- 

 grams and activities during this past year. First, the year 

 started with the implementation of che new management 

 structure, which is matrix oriented rather than based on the 

 traditional disciplinary departments. In the new structure, ac- 



37 



