The Pennsylvania Humanities Council Applauds the Confirmation of Dr. William D. "Bro" Adams as the 10th Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities

PHILADELPHIA, July 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) congratulates Dr. William D. "Bro" Adams on his U.S. Senate confirmation as the 10^th chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Dr. Adam has strong humanities roots in Pennsylvania. He led Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA from 1995 to 2000, prior to becoming president of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, from 2000 until his retirement in June.

"We are proud to have such a strong advocate for the humanities at the NEH helm. As the former president of Bucknell University, Dr. Adams knows the strengths of the humanities in Pennsylvania and what they do to inform, engage and transform people and communities. We look forward to working with him to explore new ideas and programs to make the humanities more relevant and accessible throughout the Commonwealth," said Laurie Zierer, PHC executive director.

When he nominated Dr. Adams, President Obama said, "Bro brings demonstrated leadership and decades of experience as an administrator at major universities and liberal arts institutions. His clear dedication and lifelong commitment to the humanities make him uniquely qualified to lead the nation's cultural agency. I'm proud to nominate Bro as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and look forward to working with him in the months and years to come."

Founded in 1965, NEH is an independent grant-making institution of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. Fifty-six state and territorial humanities councils, funded in part by NEH, support and conduct humanities programs throughout the country. The Federation of State Humanities Councils is the membership organization of the U.S. state and territorial humanities councils, who are active partners with NEH.

PHC is a non-profit organization and a federal-state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which champions the humanities through original programming, advocacy, and humanities grants throughout the Commonwealth. Founded more than 40 years ago as the Public Committee for the Humanities in Pennsylvania at Bucknell University for the purpose of supporting the humanities in the state, through the 70s, PHC's programming consisted, almost exclusively, of making grants to non-profit organizations with funds provided by the NEH.  In 1980, our name was changed to the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.  During the 1980s and early 1990s, the PHC complemented its grants with staff-directed special projects and packaged programs.

Today, PHC supports diverse programming that exemplifies the humanities and shows why the humanities are important in everyday life. The Pennsylvania Humanities Council brings communities together to think critically, creatively solve problems, understand cultural differences, become informed citizens, and build a better world for the next generation.

To learn more about the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, visit http://www.pahumanities.org.

Contact:
Sherry C. Hicks
Director of Communications
215.925.1005 ext. 119
[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Humanities Council