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NC PH PUBLIC HISTORY NEWS >- Volume 20. Number 4 >- Summer 2000 ANNUAL REPORT, 1999-2000 President's Report by Michael J. Devine The summer issue of the newsletter will such things were not even on the radar serve as our organization's annual report and screen for NCPH planners. my comments here preface the more detailed This year's annual meeting in St. Louis, infonnation on this past year's activities held in cooperation with the Organization provided elsewhere in this publication. of American Historians and the Missouri Our membership can feel good about Conference on History, deserves special the overall health of the organization. Our mention. The NCPH supported the decision budget is in the black, we have added to ofOAH leadership to move the conference our endowment fund, and our membership sessions out of the Adams Mark Hotel to numbers look strong. Particularly protest the hotel management's policies of encouraging is the increase in institutional racial discrimination. Despite some membership, a solid indication that our inconvenience and net revenues from the journal, The Public Historian, is highly meeting less than anticipated in our budget regarded in this country and abroad. projections, it seems that the meeting was Much of the work of the NCPH overall a programmatic success (aside from leadership this past year focused on any public statement made on racial planning for the future. Under the matters). The OAR staffis to be chairmanship of our immediate past commended for its hard work in difficult president, Dwight Pitcaithley, a new circumstances. During this past year, there document, Plan 2005, was drafted at a has been considerable discussion about the retreat in Tempe hosted by the Department value of occasionally meeting jointly with of History at Arizona State University. the OAH. (We have another meeting The NCPH Board of Directors scheduled with OAH in Washington, DC in subsequently adopted this plan at its spring 2002.) It is the consensus among NCPH meeting in St. Louis. The plan, which sets leadership that occasional joint meetings an ambitious course, calls for a continued are beneficial to both organizations, and and concerted effort to build the that the problems ofmeeting jointly are far membership base by seeking to add outweighed by the mutual benefits. diversity to the individual membership At this time, I would like to thank all categories and, at the same time, of those who made my year as NCPH expanding the institutional, sponsor, and president a most enjoyable and rewarding patron memberships. With greater revenue experience. In addition to all the members generated through membership and of the NCPH Board, the chairs and sponsors, Plan 2005 outlines the committee members, I would like to enhancement of member services and extend a special thanks to Dwight plots a strategy to build a full-time staff in Pitcaithley for chairing the long-range the NCPH Executive Offices-including a planning committee and to president-elect full-time secretary in 2001 and a full-time Alan Newell for his support on many executive director in 2004. In addition, tasks and assignments. Also, I am grateful the plan places a renewed emphasis on to NCPH Executive Director David advocacy. During the planning process, Vanderstel and those at Indiana I was fascinated to see just how much University-Purdue University at we have all become dependent on Indianapolis who have provided the communication bye-mail, web sites, and essential logistical support necessary list servers and to note just five years ago to keep the NCPH in operation. IPRESIDENT'S COMMENTS WHAT ARE WE DOING? assignments, but I do want to highlight a few. interpretation at historic sites. Many of you One ofNCPH's major problems in expanding may have seen the notice of travel its individual membership is transitioning scholarships available for the "Fur Trade student members to full members. Ifwe could Workshop" sponsored jointly by the convince even 20010 of our student public National Park Service, Parks Canada, and by Alan S. Newell historians to retain membership in NCPH, we NCPH in Grand Portage, Minnesota this would add significantly to the membership rolls September. The NCPH Endowment has For much of the last ten years that I have and our income. I've asked two recent public funded four $500 scholarships for students been involved in the National Council on history graduates who successfully made that and new professionals to attend this two-day Public History, I have heard members raise transition-Dee Harris and Amy Wilson---to event. Ted Karamanski reports that we will the issue of "delive rabies." What does co-chair the Membership Committee this year be making all four awards to historians, at NCPH provide in the way of services to its and to make this issue a focus of their work. least two of whom have tribal affiliations in members? How does membership in this The number ofNCPH awards has expanded the US or Canada. Our support of public organization advance the field of public . during the past few years as a result of the symposia and workshops also has prompted history or my professional life? With finite success ofour endowment campaign and the NCPH to submit a planning grant resources and a wide range of professional targeted efforts ofspecific members. We now application to the National Endowment for organizations competing for my allegiance, offer an annual Student Project Award, two the Humanities. If awarded, the grant will why should I maintain my membership in New Professional Travel Awards, and the G. be used to plan a symposium ofjournalists, NCPH? These are legitimate questions and Wesley Johnson Award. We will begin historians, and park managers to explore the officers and board members ofNCPH granting the Michael C. Robinson Award this ways in which history is represented in and need to regularly reflect on them and to year for accomplishments in public policy can infonn contemporary social and cultural validate the worth of this organization. history, and we will continue with our most issues at historic sites and museums. This is In the brief time that I've served as your prestigious Robert Kelley Award. I've asked the first such grant to be sponsored by president, I've discovered that much ofwhat NCPH stalwart Jim Gardner to oversee the NCPH and thanks goes to the History and occurs at NCPH daily is unseen by the coordination of these awards this year and to the National Parks Collaboration membership. I'm not naive enough to believe recommend procedures for streamlining the Committee, especially to chair Bob Weible that my discovery is a revelation to you or that work ofthis most important committee. and Laura Feller, for their diligent work in the routine business ofmost professional Other committees also have very specific completing the application process. societies is not similarly obscure to their goals. Pat Mooney-Melvin's Curriculum Finally, it is important to note that NCPH constituencies. But, it does trouble me that and Training Committee will revamp our is seeking to continue its interest and there is not more effort made to inform our "Careers in Public History Workshop" for participation in historical advocacy that our members ofthe issues that the officers, the Ottawa meeting and will explore the immediate Past-President Mike Devine executive committee and board, as well as the development of draft guidelines for public emphasized during his tenure. On behalf of committees, have before them. It seems to me history programs. Long Range Planning the organization, I recently commented on that by periodically explaining ''what we are will once again tackle the seemingly the National Park Service's recent report to doing" we may begin to justify your continued unsolvable problems with our annual Congress "Interpretation at Civil War Sites." participation in and loyalty to NCPH. meeting ''workshop policy." And, I've Furthermore, in an effort to provide more I'll begin by emphasizing what I wrote in the asked Jason Gart to work with an expanded continuity to our efforts in advocacy, I've spring 2000 newsletter about the importance of Consultants' Committee to develop a appointed Mike to a three-year tenn as NCPH committees. Only by encomaging a proposal for a "Contracting Handbook for NCPH representative to the National vigorous and responsive committee structure Historical Consultants." Finally, Bob Coordinating Committee for the Promotion can the organization generate fresh ideas and Weyeneth, who sits on The Public of History (NCC). With his passion for and youthful enthusiasm to implement them. I Historian Editorial Board and now strong commitment to public history, I'm began wolking on committee appointments chairs our Publications and Electronic confident that NCC's new chair Bruce Craig weeks before the annual meeting and was Communications Committee, will oversee can count on the sound advice and support fortunate to meet with a number ofpast and the revision of the Careers/or Students in ofNCPH in the coming year. future committee chairs while in St Louis. History booklet and work with TPH and UC So, ifit seems as if little happens at With two exceptions, committee assignments Press to provide digitized versions of TPH NCPH between annual meetings, be assured and charges reached the desks of committee indexes online. This issue of Public History that this is not the case. We are doing a lot chairs in late May. These charges have been News includes the names of committee and, with your active support and narrowed from previous years to two or three members and chairs. I encourage you to involvement in NCPH committees, we can principal tasks for the coming year. contact them if you have comments or accomplish great things in the coming years.