The Northern Marianas Humanities Council was recently given a glowing assessment by the National Endowment for the Humanities for running a program it describes as “smart, scholarly and popular.”
The NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the federal government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
In a letter to Humanities Council’s executive director Scott Russell, NEH federal/state partnership senior program officer Kathleen Mitchell heaped praise on the Council’s program.
She wrote, “The Northern Marianas Humanities Council runs a smart, scholarly and popular program that speaks to the people and concerns of the CNMI, is a rigorous resource of scholarship about the history and culture of the islands, has a cutting edge Motheread/Teacheread program that is highly appreciated as well as a radio program that attracts family listeners who share it together.”
For Mitchell, the CNMI’s humanities programs reach many generations.
She also recognized the efforts and commitment of the Council’s staff and board.
“The current board is strong and committed,” Mitchell said.
She also said the Federal/State Partnership “affirms and confirms the observations and recommendations of site visitors University of Hawaii Center for Oral History director Warren Nishimoto and Guam Preservation Trust program officer Rosanna P. Barcinas.
Mitchell also recognized the Humanities Council’s successful rebranding program that simplified its name and adopted a creative logo for the council which addresses the island and seafaring nature and history of the islands.
According to the NEH official, the members of the National Council also recognized the potential value of the two site visitors’ report.
They also noted favorably the Council’s serving a much broader audience now than in the past.
Nishimoto and Barcinas’ report mirrored the final assessment of NEH.
The consultants’ stated in their report, “Despite operating in a community with diverse population in constant flux, it is evident that Council programming has succeeded in reaching a broad audience and nurturing a network of scholars, partners and community groups and individuals who promote the programs and missions of the Council.”
For Nishimoto and Barcinas, the cornerstone of the Humanities Council’s programming is its deep commitment in taking the lead in documenting and preserving the history, language, and lifestyles of the indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian people.
In meeting this “critical need,” the Council also puts premium on other related topics and issues such as literacy, arts, literature, history and culture that would pique the interest of students and out-of-school adults, said the consultants.
They also recognized the council’s five-year plan beginning 2011 that they believe would allow the Council the flexibility to focus on its three major themes of its programs and activities: (1) documenting the history, culture, and contributions of the NMI’s indigenous people; (2) documenting the history, culture, and contributions of the NMI’s non-indigenous groups; and (3) bringing the humanities programs to underserved audiences.
For Nishimoto and Barcinas, these themes are “well-conceived, broad enough to encompass past, present and future Council programs and activities, provide a template for future fundraising and reflect the ability and willingness of the executive director, staff, board, scholars and partners to deliver programs to the community.
In an interview with Variety yesterday, Northern Marianas Humanities Council executive director Scott Russell said, “We are very pleased we came through the assessment in good shape and they were happy with the way we are running the program.”
He added, “We would be striving to continue to improve.”
Russell said the assessment is done once every five years.
New logo
In conjunction with its 20th anniversary, the Humanities Council has launched a rebranding program that officially adopted a new, short name and logo.
Russell said, “The board unanimously adopted the shortened name and logo on Sept. 8.”
The council was formerly known as the Northern Mariana Islands Council for the Humanities.
Russell said they started working on the proposal to change the name and logo in the early part of 2011 and presented the proposal to the board in April.
He also said they moved to amend their charter and bylaws in October to reflect the newly adopted official name and logo.
Not only is the council using a new name and logo, they also added a tagline — “Navigating the Human Experience.
Russell said, “We wanted to have something that related back to local cultures.”
He said the canoe and navigation are metaphors in exploring the human experience.
“We thought that was fitting,” he said.
