21st Anniversary Celebration

On a beautiful Spring day in May, we had our annual celebration of the Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship at the Smithsonian Castle. Current and past Fellows, curators, Smithsonian staff, and friends  were on hand to  celebrate this highly successful partnership.

Once again, Philippa Rappoport, Community Engagement Programs Manager for the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA) welcomed everyone, and provided a short history of the Castle, and the room in which the reception is traditionally held. Who knew the building’s towers had once been home to the owls, Inspire and Diffusion (names drawn from James Smithson’s original charge to the museum!)?  Patricia Bartlett, Acting Assistant Secretary for Education and Access, Smithsonian Institution (SI), talked about the value of the partnership , highlighting some of the  projects that the outgoing 2017 Fellows undertook with their students.

Keynote remarks were made by Atesh Sonneborn, Associate Director, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH),  followed by  comments from Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Deputy Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).  Both were inspirational, reminding all of us of that being a part of this Fellowship has given us both the privilege and responsibility to change lives. Melissa Wadman, Manager of Program Evaluation, SCLDA presented the results of a survey of all past Fellows, results which reinforced the lasting value the program has had.

Montgomery College’s (MC)  Sara Bachman Ducey, Director, Paul Peck Humanities Institute (PPHI)  introduced Carolyn Terry, Associate Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, who spoke about the  ways in which thousands of students have and continue to benefit from the MC-SI partnership.  Serena Gould, Professor of English Language for Academic Purposes (ELAP) represented the outgoing 2017 Fellows, sharing the project she did and the impact it had on her students, none of whom were born in this country, yet all of whom now understand how the Smithsonian speaks for all of them.

Retiring curators Atesh Sonneborn and Harry Rosenstein,  National Museum of American History, were thanked  for their long term support of this program, and it was noted that Harry has participated in the Fellowship for 20 years.

Closing remarks were made by Philippa Rappoport and Sara Bachman Ducey, both of whom thanked many of the people who have or continue to have a role in developing and expanding the Fellowship.  These included  Stephanie Norby, Director, SCLDA , Pino Monaco, Associate Director of Program Evaluation, SCLDA,  and Tess Porter, Education Support Specialist, SCLDA. On the Montgomery College end,  Professors Mimi Mann, Fellowship Coordinator and Denise Dewhurst, Co-coordinator were thanked and special recognition was given to John Lauer who once again did an outstanding job putting together the final report showcasing the work of the 2017 Fellows.

Good food, a time to catch up with friends and colleagues, and some moving comments from our speakers made for a wonderful afternoon.