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REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee of the Board of Regents met at noon, Monday, September 9, 1991, at the Supreme Court at the invitation of the Chancellor. Present were:

William H. Rehnquist, Chancellor
David C. Acheson, Chairman
Samuel C. Johnson

Also present were: Secretary Robert McC. Adams, Under Secretary Carmen E. Turner, Assistant Secretary for Finance and Administration Nancy D. Suttenfield, Executive Assistant to the Secretary James M. Hobbins, and Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice Robb M. Jones.

The Committee reviewed the proposed agenda for the September 16, 1991 meeting of the Board of Regents and observed that, with the amplifications below, the agenda papers reflect the Committee's views.

The Committee received a report on the closing of one bank account and the provisional opening of another in a location to facilitate research operations that might result from a debt-swap arrangement. 

The Committee reviewed and commended to the Regents' attention the Proposed Consent and Information Agenda. Mrs. Turner briefed the Committee on the most recent legislative hearings on the proposed Extension of the National Air and Space Museum, which are reflected in the agenda paper. She also described the bill, H.R.3281, introduced by Congressmen Skaggs and Cardin, which would establish a National Air and Space Museum Expansion Site Advisory Panel (for which see below, under Legislative Actions and Issues, p. 8). The Committee was sympathetic to the view, said to be expressed by several members of the House, that H.R.3281 would undermine the authority of the Board of Regents to make programmatic decisions and therefore ought to be opposed. 

The Committee specifically endorsed the Nominating Committee's proposed nomination of Hanna Gray as a citizen member of the Board of Regents. The Committee was enthusiastic about the prospect of her joining the Board next year upon the expiration of Dr. Bowen's second term. The Committee also noted the recent occurrence of another vacancy on the Board. 

In his Secretary's Report, Mr. Adams alluded to a variety of issues which he will raise again with the Board at its meeting of September 16. They included: the financial status of Smithsonian magazines, the content of portions of "The Buried Mirror," a request for the loan of the shuttle "Enterprise," and a variety of other topics which did not lend themselves to written presentations in advance of these meetings.

The Committee discussed the topics proposed for discussion and resolution (Part B of the agenda) and approved the related resolutions. The Committee was impressed by the thorough investigation of possible collections for the proposed African American Museum.

The meeting of the Executive Committee was adjourned at 1:30 p.m.