From the Secretary: My first year
One year ago, I began my tenure as Secretary of the Smithsonian. At the Folklilfe Festival’s Buddhist temple, the Bhutanese monks blessed my wife, Anne, and me during their closing ceremony. The blessing obviously “took,” and we have had a wonderful year. We have greatly enjoyed getting to know so many Smithsonian friends and look forward to the coming year.
The year was characterized by the largest economic downturn in 75 years, an historic election, a near miss with a flu pandemic and international conflict. This swirl of events has had an impact on the Smithsonian, but we have emerged stronger than before, with a clearer understanding of future possibilities.
Wayne Clough, left on a site visit to the Freer and Sackler Galleries. (Photo by Ken Rahaim)
We have been fortunate to build a team of outstanding senior staff, including several new directors. I was able to gain a deeper appreciation of the Institution’s depth and breadth through more than 70 visits to units and programs, not only those in Washington, D.C., but also in other states, as well as Panama, Chile and Kenya.
We undertook a comprehensive and inclusive strategic planning process that included opportunities for members of programmatic and mission-enabling units to discuss our aspirations for the Smithsonian and the course we should follow in coming years.
I commissioned groups to work on Web strategies, digitization, education, travel processes, revenue diversification, the Arts and Industries building, communication and a fundraising campaign. All these efforts are either complete or nearly so. We have begun implementing recommendations that will improve the way we fulfill our mission and help us better tell our story to donors, Congress and our other stakeholders.
Our federal budget has increased; the House and Senate markups of the 2010 fiscal year budget look promising; and museum visitation is up by around two million over last year. Private giving to the Smithsonian remains strong, and we are optimistic that we will reach our fundraising goal for 2009. Not all the budget news is positive, but we have weathered the economic downturn and are well positioned for the future.
We do not know what challenges next year will bring, but I am certain the work we put into the strategic planning process will stand us in good stead. We have devised strategies for both positive and negative scenarios that will allow us not only to better weather difficult times, but also to thrive during good times. There is clear agreement that a greater commitment to external partnerships and cross-Institutional collaboration will increase our opportunities.
Our strategic plan will help direct our work for the benefit of society, and encourage an increased use of digital technologies so that we can reach the broadest possible audiences. We have tools to do things we have never done before. Ours is a time of remarkable innovation and we have new ways to share our knowledge and collections. Our efforts in education will continue the Institution’s long tradition of service to the nation and the world.
The design concept model for the National Museum of African American History and Culture submitted by Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup. (Photo courtesy of Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup)
Our newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, deepens our understanding of the American story and broadens the way we tell that story. When the design team for the new museum was announced earlier this year, founding Director Lonnie Bunch said of the new museum, it “will sing for all of us while speaking to the resiliency, optimism, creativity and spirituality of the African American community.” The museum—already building collections, offering programs and mounting exciting exhibitions—is the latest demonstration of the Smithsonian’s commitment to sharing our national identity through the contributions of all Americans.
Wayne Clough is the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
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Posted: 1 July 2009
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