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[[underlined]] Personnel Matters [[/underlined]]

Scholarly Hiring and Retention

As noted in the November 1987 [[underlined]] Newsletter to the Regents [[/underlined]] (page 9), the final report of the Academic Hiring and Appraisal Committee was submitted to the Secretary in September. James Karr, the committee chairman and acting director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, led an oral presentation of the issues and recommendations in the report for the Management Committee in early December. One of the committee's strongest recommendations -- to hire a consultant to review the Institution's personnel policies and practices in the context of current and proposed Federal regulations, as well as practices in the private sector, especially with respect to their effect upon scholars -- has been pursued with a solicitation for a study proposal from the National Academy of Public Administration. The Academy's draft proposal will be widely circulated for comments to ensure that the area of focus is commensurate with the issues raised in the Karr report as well as broader factors the Secretary wishes to examine. Robert S. Hoffmann, Assistant Secretary for Research, has agreed to serve as project officer for the oversight of the Academy's study.

Personnel Searches

The Smithsonian has a number of searches under way for appointments in the senior management of the Institution. These include:

• Director of Development -- The Washington office of the firm Russell Reynolds has recently been awarded a contract for conducting a nationwide search for this senior development position. (This firm is also under contract to search for a development officer for the National Museum of Natural History.) It is expected that Russell Reynolds will recommend several finalists for the consideration of the Institution's own panel and the Secretary by early April. In the meanwhile, E. Jeffrey Stann, formerly the deputy director of Membership and Development, has been serving as the Acting Director of Development since the retirement of James McK. Symington in late October.

• Director of the National Museum of Natural History -- The deadline for applications for this position closed December 31. After an extensive recruiting period, 30 qualified applicants have submitted their credentials for review by the search committee empanelled under David Challinor's chairmanship. A short list of candidates to be interviewed will be drawn up by the committee by late January, and it is anticipated that a recommendation will be forwarded to the Secretary by early March. James C. Tyler, earlier the Associate Director of the Museum (and before then Acting Director of the National Air and Space Museum) has been serving as the Acting Director since Robert S. Hoffmann left to become the Assistant Secretary for Research in early January.