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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 17, 1994

         PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES HIS INTENTION TO NOMINATE 
          10 MEMBERS TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE HUMANITIES

President Clinton today announced his intention to nominate ten scholars and civic leaders, including two winners of MacArthur Foundation fellowships -- the so- called "genius awards" -- to the National Council on the Humanities.

"Over the past three decades, our nation's cultural life has become immensely richer because of the work of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The scholars and distinguished citizens I am naming today will help that tradition of excellence to continue to flourish," the President said.

NEH Chairman Sheldon Hackney said the choices were "superb," adding: "Their contributions as scholars, teachers and administrators, in concert with their lifelong records of commitment to the humanities, are unparalleled. I look forward to obtaining their wise council."

The National Council on the Humanities is responsible for advising the Chairperson with respect to the policies, programs and procedures necessary for the operation of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In addition, the Council reviews applications for the awarding of grants and makes recommendations to the Chairman.

The ten are being named to vacancies on the 26- member council and the nominations are subject to Senate confirmation. The NEH is an independent federal agency that supports education, research, preservation projects and public programs in the humanities. The Endowment observes its 30th anniversary in 1995.

Brief bios of the nominees follow:

RAMON GUTIERREZ of California Mr. Gutierrez is currently a Fellow at the Getty Foundation. He is also a Professor of History at the University of California at San Diego, and has been a MacArthur Fellow, a Mellon Fellow, and a Fulbright- Hayes Fellow.

DARRYL GLESS of North Carolina Mr. Gless is a Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

CHARLES PATRICK HENRY of California Mr. Henry is an Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. He has also taught at Denison University, Howard University, the University of Maryland, and Malcolm X City College. Additionally, he has served as Chair of the National Council for Black Studies and as a Member of the Executive Committee of Amnesty International.

NICOLAS KANELLOS of Texas Mr. Kanellos is a Professor of Hispanic and Classical Languages at the University of Houston. He is also the Director of the Arte Publico Press and a prolific author. Mr. Kanellos has received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature from President Reagan, a commendation for academic excellence from the Governor of Texas, and has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Educational Testing Service. Mr. Kanellos is also a member of the Hispanic Forum of Houston.

BEV LINDSEY of Arkansas Ms. Lindsey is currently the Director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. She was previously the Director of the Arkansas Arts Council, a member of the Delta Cultural Center Advisory Board, a member of the Mid America Arts Alliance, and has been involved with numerous additional cultural and civic associations.

ROBERT ROTBERG of Massachusetts Mr. Rotberg is President of the World Peace Foundation and a lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also a former President of Lafayette College and has taught at Tufts University, M.I.T., Princeton University, and Boston University. Mr. Rotberg is a Trustee of Oberlin College, the Director of the American-South African Scholarship Association, a Board Member of the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, and a Board Member of the International Commission of the American Council on Education.

JOHN D'ARMS of Michigan Mr. D'Arms is currently a Professor of Classics at the University of Michigan. He is also Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. He previously served as the President of the Association of Graduate Schools of the Association of American Universities and has been a Board Member of the American Council of Learned Societies. -MORE-

THOMAS HOLT of Illinois Mr. Holt is a historian and MacArthur Foundation Fellow. He was a Professor of American History at the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, the University of California at Berkeley, and Howard University. He is a renowned author and has received numerous fellowships and awards for his scholarship.

MARTHA HOWELL of New York Ms. Howell is Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and the Women's Studies Program at Columbia University. She previously taught at Rutgers University and has been a Fulbright-Hays Research Fellow and a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities. She has written numerous books and articles related to women's studies in medieval and early modern history.

HAROLD SKRAMSTAD of Michigan Mr. Skramstad is currently the President of the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. He was formerly Director of the Chicago Historical Society and worked at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution for over ten years. He is a member of numerous museum and historically related associations and boards in addition to being civically and culturally active in Michigan. In 1992, he was awarded the Charles Frankel Prize for the Humanities.

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