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Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The Smithsonian faces an existential crisis. The world is watching.
When the National Portrait Gallery was created by an act of Congress in 1962, the authorizing legislation defined portraiture as 'painted or sculptured likenesses.' And when it referred to the future directors of that museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, it was with exclusively male pronouns. 'His appointment and salary,' the text read, would be fixed by the Smithsonian's Board of Regents.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Now the President Is an Art Critic
Last week, President Trump announced that he had fired the head of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. 'Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,' Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 'She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of D.E.I., which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly.' There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of Trump's disdain for Sajet, given his aggressive effort to rid the federal government of 'D.E.I.,' which has turned out to mean the mere presence of nonwhites and women the president doesn't like in positions of authority. The issue complicating his effort to remove Saget, however, is that the National Portrait Gallery is part of the Smithsonian Institution, which is independent of the federal government. And the portrait gallery was established by congressional statute — neither the gallery nor the Smithsonian are located in the executive branch. The museum's bylaws don't describe exactly how dismissals are supposed to work, but as a matter of procedure (and it seems, law), the only person with the direct power to remove Sajet would be Lonnie G. Bunch III, who serves as secretary of the Smithsonian. And Bunch, in turn, is accountable to the Smithsonian's Board of Regents, which consists of the chief justice of the United States, the vice president, three members of the Senate, three members of the House of Representatives and nine private citizens. Trump, in other words, has as much power to remove Sajet from her post as I do — that is to say, none at all. Of course, there is more to power than what's on paper. Trump may not have the formal capacity to shape the leadership of any of the Smithsonian's museums, but if other political actors treat him as if he does then, well, what's the difference? Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Most state services will see no new funding in final Alaska state budget draft
The Alaska State Capitol is seen behind a curtain of blooming branches on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) There will be no extra money for the University of Alaska's sports teams, its effort to become a top-tier research university or its attempts to hire and keep staff. On Friday, the legislative committee assigned to write the final version of Alaska's state operating budget axed all of those items — and many more — from its in-progress draft. Alaska is facing a severe budget crunch, thanks to low oil prices and reduced federal spending, and lawmakers are eliminating almost every previously considered addition, even before Gov. Mike Dunleavy gets a chance to use his veto pen. Flat funding, combined with inflation, means cuts for most state services. The Permanent Fund dividend isn't immune, either. It's expected to be about $1,000 this year, the lowest figure in state history, once adjusted for inflation. 'It's just a really challenging time, and there's a lot of volatility, and Alaska's heavily dependent upon federal funds,' said Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks. 'We don't have that huge buffer of oil and gas funds that we once did.' Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, appeared resigned to the decisions when asked for comment. 'It is what it is,' he said. Among the university's budget cuts is $150,000 for a staff member to help the university's efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion. The University's Board of Regents voted earlier this year to cancel DEI efforts, including those intended to help Alaska Native students. 'We obviously are cut down to the bone if we're talking about individual, singular positions in the budget, and the board of regents has taken a position that's alternative to what I think the UA community broadly wants to see happen, so it puts our Legislature as an appropriating body in a really difficult position making those kinds of decisions,' said Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks. The budget maneuvering isn't restricted to the University of Alaska. At the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, legislators have cut road maintenance spending and have requested a report on the feasibility of turning the Dalton Highway — Alaska's overland link to the North Slope — into a toll road. A plan to put more Alaska state troopers in Kotzebue to fight child abuse crimes was only partially funded, and $2.3 million for additional trooper overtime was trimmed to $1 million. The conference committee, in charge of combining different budget drafts approved by the state House and Senate, may also cancel plans for additional state and wildlife troopers in Talkeetna. Legislators are asking DPS to begin meeting with the Kenai, Fairbanks and Matanuska-Susitna boroughs about setting up local police in those areas in order to replace troopers. 'It is the intent of the legislature to direct public safety funds to areas of the state that do not have the tax base to provide needed policing services to their communities,' the latest budget draft states. A few budget increases remain — $250,000 more for maintenance at the state's trial courts, $292,000 more for security screening of legislative mail, and additional state funding for Alaska's forestry program as part of an effort to increase logging. For the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the conference committee approved backstop funding for public schools in case Dunleavy vetoes House Bill 57, which would permanently increase the state's per-student funding formula. The backstop language includes a one-time bonus that's slightly smaller than the increase included within HB 57. That increase is itself lower than the rate of inflation. The committee declined to increase funding for special education, child nutrition, early education, and state libraries, archives and museums. But lawmakers did approve an increase for career and technical education initiatives. They temporarily postponed a decision on items related to foreign teacher recruitment and training, at the request of Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage. Those may be taken up as soon as Sunday. The committee approved $5.5 million for child advocacy centers, which support child victims of physical and sexual abuse. That money was added after the federal government cut funding for the centers. For the state prison system, the budget directs the closure of part of Spring Creek Correctional Center and directs the Alaska Department of Corrections to prepare a report for the Legislature evaluating which prisons would provide the most cost savings if closed. Budget negotiators also rejected increased funding for vocational training programs intended to aid Alaskans who leave the prison system. Several items are still being debated, and the conference committee was scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. Sunday to finalize the compromise budget draft. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBC
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
A funding cut to Memorial University is on hold. Students say a tuition hike should be too
A student protest greeted Memorial University's board of regents on Wednesday morning. The students want a planned tuition increase cancelled, in response to the provincial government pausing a funding cut to the university. But the CBC's Mark Quinn says Memorial is holding firm.
Wall Street Journal
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Texas and Western Civilization
A rare bright spot in American higher education these days is the trend of universities starting new schools for civic inquiry and debate. The latest cheer goes to the University of Texas, which is making a major commitment to teaching the ideas of Western civilization and the American constitutional order. On Thursday the UT Board of Regents announced a $100 million investment in the School of Civic Leadership, the biggest sum so far by a public university in a program focused on civics education and constitutional principles. The money will help renovate a building on campus to become a permanent location for the civics school and the Civitas Institute, an in-house think tank. The school will enroll 100 freshmen in a Civic Honors major this fall.
