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The Smithsonian Institution continues to bleed to save itself as Sheila P. Burke, the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, resigned yesterday. Burke was the second in command to Lawrence P. Small, who resigned as Secretary back in March. The Washington Post reports today that the Board of Regents isn't taking the call for restructuring lightly, and Burke took the hit after her $1.6 million in compensation from outside activities came to light.
The Regents also announced the first phase of the organization's overhaul, including changes in the Chancellor's duties, a new code of ethics to be written over the next six months, and a program to give the public a forum to voice concerns. The Chancellor, who has always been the Supreme Court Chief Justice, will now split his duties with a chairman, who will take a more interactive role with the Regents. This decision was most likely made since it was the Regents playing the role of the absent parent that left the corruption and other problems continue unabated for so long. Owning up, they've created a list of their failings, with the hope that the new chairman, as well as new access granted to the inspector general, general counsel and chief financial officer, will keep the Regents paying attention to what's going on under their noses.
Acting Secretary Cristián Samper has been charged with developing a new code of ethics that will be announced at the beginning of 2008. Already agreed upon is a rule stating that the Institution's executives may not serve on the boards of for-profit companies, like both Small and Burke did (the Post notes they both served on, among others, the board of a company that held insurance polices on the Smithsonian).
Photo by lonecellotheory.
Maybe most importantly, the Regents plan to use a little sunshine antiseptic to make sure problems are no longer ignored or missed. A web page is in the works that describes exactly what the Regents do and how they're organized, and they plan to post updates and minutes from their meetings. Aside from executive corruption, the most serious problem the Smithsonian faces is its facility disrepair and the physical safety of its artifacts from this neglect. Not only will the Regents develop a committee dedicated solely to deal with repairs, but members of the public may soon be able to call a hotline and participate in an annual public forum to lodge complaints with service or upkeep.
Clearly the Institution is making important and necessary changes. Perhaps this new energy will prove to Congress that the Institution can be trusted with more funding, allowing them not only to bring their facilities up to current standards, but move forward and bring new programs to the public. We have our hopes up, Smithsonian. Don't let us down.
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