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[[underlined]] AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INITIATIVES [[/underlined]]

It was reported that a number of affirmative action initiatives have been implemented since the last report to the Regents. A "fast track" hiring system utilizing a central fund has been initiated to attract highly qualified minorities into professional positions; that program has already attracted 16 proposals from Smithsonian bureaus and offices to hire minority Ph.D.'s (twice as many women as men) in areas of expertise ranging from American art history to tropical ecology, from American Indian programming to conservation science. It is hoped that a majority of these individuals will be on board before the end of the fiscal year, depending on when they can be extricated from the obligations of current academic appointments. This first wave of professional hiring will represent a significant step forward in the Institution's affirmative action program.

Recently a list of task assignments has been developed which assigns primary responsibility for follow-up and implementation of several of the key elements of a 23-point affirmative action plan issued in early February by the Under Secretary. These assignments involve the Offices of Equal Opportunity, Personnel Administration, Fellowships and Grants, and Museum Programs, as well as all of the assistant secretaries. They cover a range of strategies from holding a conference for deans from historically Black colleges and universities to discuss Smithsonian employment opportunities for their students, to making the upward mobility program stronger and more visible for employees who aspire to advancement.

The Secretary reviewed with his senior staff the concerns addressed in the report submitted by the Subcommittee on Cultural Equity of the Cultural Education Committee. He has developed a response which was sent with a copy of the report to members of the Board of Regents earlier in April. In addition, affirmative action was the topic of extensive discussion at the hearings before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies on March 22. Chairman Sidney Yates had received a copy of the above report and closely examined each bureau director on the progress of affirmative action in his or her bureau.

[[underlined]] STATUS REPOTS [[/underlined]]

Mr. Adams brought the following reports to the Board's attention:

Personnel Matters
Major Development Initiatives
Major Construction and Repairs
Litigation Report
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Properties
National Postal Museum
Experimental Gallery
Commerce Exhibition Space
Electronic Media Developments
Smithsonian Magazine