A New Year: Renewed Efforts « Missouri Humanities Council

A Letter from MHC Executive Director,

Geoff Giglierano

A New Year; Renewed Efforts

On behalf of the staff, volunteers, partners and board members of the Missouri Humanities Council, I want to extend best wishes to all our readers for a happy and prosperous 2011. Traditionally the beginning of a new year is the time for talking about fresh starts and new directions. At MHC, however, we had already set off in some new directions during the latter part of 2010. So rather than saying that this new year is a time for a fresh start, we are looking upon the beginning of 2011 as a time for renewing our efforts to continue following the Council’s new collective vision and fulfilling the commitments that have crystallized for us in the last several months.

Admittedly, those commitments do sound somewhat like a set of new year’s resolutions:

* we are determined to listen well and support programs and projects that arise from the “grass- roots up,” rather than from the “top down;”
* as much as possible, MHC programs will be done cooperatively in partnership with organizations and agencies from around the state;
* we will work to find a balance for MHC between being a content provider and still supporting other content providers;
* we will work to diversify our sources of support;
* and we will strive to be good stewards of the resources that are entrusted to us.

But unlike what happens with many New Year’s resolutions, we intend to stick with these commitments throughout the year. In short, while six months from now some of us will have undoubtedly failed in our determination to include more fiber in our diets and to exercise with greater regularity, the MHC staff and board will continue to support programs arising from the grass-roots up and pursuing partnerships with other organizations.

So, you may ask, how will these principles manifest themselves in concrete action in the new year?

I’m glad you asked. Let me give just a few examples of what is already underway.

We will be working on setting up new systems and implementing a strategy utilizing a network of “humanities ambassadors” to be in communication with our friends and constituents in every county of the state. We are building a partnership with the Missouri History Museum that will help bring high quality traveling exhibits to communities throughout Missouri. Also in the works, is a partnership with the Missouri Association of Museums and Archives to cooperatively host a conference that will help provide support and encouragement to local museums and libraries.

One project that I am particularly enthused about is an idea that we are exploring with Gary Kremer and the State Historical Society of Missouri. Many of our friends and constituents–along with members of the Council–have expressed interest in seeing MHC bring back some form of the speakers’ bureau that was once a major element of the organization’s programming. The State Historical Society had taken over administration of the service until budget cuts had an impact on its continuation in the last year. As the service remains highly popular–at MHC we continue to get almost weekly requests for speakers’ bureau presentations, even though MHC hasn’t offered the program since 2005–so a logical response is for MHC and the State Historical Society to look at how we can work together to reinvent the program and cooperate in keeping it in business.

I would also like to emphasize that as we look at how we might make this happen, a key aspect of the process is “reinvention.” Times change, and the needs of the audience evolve: our goal will not be to simply keep the same old speakers’ bureau on life support, but to look at how it can be updated and improved in order to become a “speakers’ bureau 2.0” that will be as viable and meaningful as we can make it.

This next year is going to present us with some significant challenges. It’s not likely to be an easy year, and there undoubtedly will be some hard choices to be made. But there is also a lot to look forward to–new partnerships, new and revitalized programs, building new relationships with our constituents and new sponsors and donors–will make for an exciting and rewarding 2011.

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