May 27, 2010 - The National Council on the Humanities convened in Washington, DC on May 20-21. Brief public committee meetings were held at 9am on Thursday, May 20, followed by closed sessions to review grant applications. Committees included: Federal State Partnership and Public Programs, Office of Digital Humanities, Preservation & Access, Research. The following programs and grant competitions were considered during the private portions of the meetings: 

DIGITAL HUMANITIES

• NEH/DFG (German Research Foundation) Enriching Digital Collections
• NEH/DFG (German Research Foundation) Symposia and Workshops Program
• Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities
• Council Members: Marvin Scott (chair), Mary Habeck, Adele Alexander
• Division Director: Brett Bobley

FEDERAL/STATE PARTNERSHIP                                               

• We the People Project Grants
• Council Members: Gary Glenn (chair), Jay Winik, Craig Hafner
• Division Director: Edie Manza

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

• NEH on the Road           
• Council Members: Gary Glenn (chair), Jay Winik, Craig Hafner  
• Division Director: Tom Phelps

PRESERVATION AND ACCESS

• National Digital Newspaper Program
• Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections            
• Council Members: Robert Martin (chair), Harvey Klehr, Marvin Krislov
• Division Director: Nadina Gardner

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Collaborative Research
• Scholarly Editions and Translations
• Council Members: Dawn Delbanco (chair), Jamsheed Choksy, David Hertz, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Allen Guelzo, Rolena Adorno
• Division Acting Director: Jane Aikin

During the plenary sessions of the full Council meeting on Friday, May 21, members of the public, Council members, and NEH staff heard reports from Chairman Leach, NEH senior staff, and Council members. There was also a special presentation from David Grubin on The Buddha, an NEH-supported documentary film.

The National Council on the Humanities is a board of 26 private citizens charged, by statute, with (1) advising the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities with respect to Endowment policies, programs, and procedures, and with (2) reviewing grant applications and making recommendations to the Chairman. National Council members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They serve staggered, six-year terms.

A current list of council members is available on the NEH website. The next Council meeting is scheduled for July 22-23.

Related content: Grants, NEH, NEH Council