Reports of Programs and Services 



67 



ucation reform. The eight LASER regional sites serve more 

 than 15 percent of the U.S. student population. Since 1989, 

 465 school district leadership teams from 44 states have 

 attended 32 week-long Strategic Planning Institutes spon- 

 sored by rhe NSRC. During rhe past year, leadership teams 

 from more than 100 school districts attended LASER events; 

 these school districrs serve more than 4 million K-8 students. 

 At this year's annual national Strategic Planning Institute, 

 16 leadership teams from across the country plus represen- 

 ratives from the U.S. -Mexico Foundation for Science, repre- 

 senting more than 375,000 K-8 students, took part in six 

 days of strategic planning and interactive workshops and 

 discussions to develop five-year plans to reform K-8 science 

 education in their districts. 



Office of Communications 



David J. Umansky, Director 



The Office of Communicarions is responsible for the public 

 face of the Institution. Its Office of Public Affairs (OPA) is 

 dedicated to media relations, publications, and public rela- 

 tions. The Visitor Informarion and Associates' Reception 

 Center (VIARC) serves the millions of people who visit the 

 Smithsonian each year. 



Office of Public Affairs 



The Smithsonian's Office of Public Affairs, part of the Office 

 of Communications, planned and implemented all major 

 public relations promotions for fiscal year 2000, beginning 

 with the Millennium celebrations at the museums on the 

 Mall and the January insrallarion of the new Secretary, 

 Lawrence M. Small, and continuing to preparations for the 

 December 2000 arrival of rhe giant pandas. 



Major publicity projects resulted in coverage in countless 

 newspapers and magazines, on network news, and on local 

 TV and radio. Among the most highly visible projecrs was 

 the campaign to promote the opening of "The American 

 Presidency: A Glorious Burden" ar rhe Narional Museum of 

 American Hisrory, Behring Center one week after rhe elec- 

 tion, on November 15, in the next fiscal year. A luncheon 

 and media event — featuring real arrifacrs from the show and 

 a sampling of rhe dozen videos that enhance the exhibition — 

 were held in New York City, at the birthplace of Teddy 

 Roosevelt, to "launch" the exhibition. Publicity, advertising, 

 marketing, and word-of-mouth in fiscal year 2000 and the 

 beginning of 2001 resulted in more than 1 10,000 visits dur- 

 ing rhe exhibition's first two months. 



National outreach, one of Secretary Small's priorities for 

 the Institution, was central to the year's public relations ac- 

 tivities. The staff went to several ciries ro "advance" the 



Secretary's visits to affiliated museums and to work with 

 local public relations professionals on press events. Cities in- 

 cluded this year were Palm Beach, Florida; Blackhawk, 

 California; Miami; San Antonio, Texas; and Mount Vernon, 

 Virginia. 



All of the Smithsonian's National Outreach projects, as 

 well as major temporary and permanent exhibitions, are sup- 

 ported with private funds. OPA works closely with the 

 Office of Development and fund raisers in the museums to 

 plan and draw media attention to events that focus on donor 

 contributions. This year, there were several outstanding 

 events — a press conference at the National Zoo to announce 

 the three corporate sponsors of the panda project, attended 

 by more rhan 30 reporters and television crews; a press 

 briefing ar the National Museum of American History to 

 announce the biggest-ever gift to the Smithsonian — S80 

 million from Kenneth E. Behring; and the announcement of 

 the contribution of $2 million to the National Portrait 

 Gallery from a local government employee, Paul Peck. The 

 events paid tribute to the donors and were successful media 

 occasions. 



The planning for rhe arrival of the pandas — from the an- 

 nouncement that the permit had been granted by rhe U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service and rhar the funding of $18 mil- 

 lion had been secured to the actual arrival of rhe pandas at 

 Washington Dulles International Airport one cold night in 

 December — was spearheaded by the Office of Public Affairs, 

 working in close collaboration with the National Zoo, Busi- 

 ness Ventures, and the corporate sponsors. The results were a 

 well-choreographed succession of events culminating in 

 more news coverage around the globe than has ever been 

 seen at the Smithsonian. 



As part of the Institution's diversity efforts, OPA coordi- 

 nates publicity for all Heritage Month celebrations and runs 

 radio and/or prinr advertising for Black History Month in 

 February and Hispanic Heritage Month in September and 

 October. 



Great progress was made this year in efforts to help staff 

 around the Institution understand, feel comfortable with, 

 and use the two-year-old Visual Identity Program to its best 

 advantage. The Smithsonian Logo Web site was launched in 

 January 2000 to assist staff and contractors in correct use of 

 the logo system. The Web site contains all the information 

 and graphics in the printed "Smithsonian Design Guide- 

 lines," along with additional information and each unir's 

 logo in five downloadable graphic file formats. 



A number of Institution-wide publications produced by the 

 Office of Public Affairs were reexamined and slated for re- 

 design as soon as feasible. Work on a new, improved look for 

 Smithsonian Year, the Institution's annual report, a joint project 

 of OPA and Smithsonian Institution Press, began in July 

 2000. This meant a major reorganizarion of the text and the 

 message, along with additional photographs of higher quality. 

 Focus groups were held during the summer to get input from 

 Smithsonian staff about the employee newspaper, The Torch. 

 As a result, to better reach all levels of sraff, a redesign and 

 changes in content were planned for early the next fiscal year. 



