March 15, 2008
Smithsonian Appoints College President as Its Next Leader
By The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The Smithsonian Institution, which has been in turmoil since its leader was forced to resign under pressure, announced today that it has appointed a university president to take over the museum complex.
G. Wayne Clough, president of Georgia Institute of Technology for the past 15 years, will take over the institution, Roger G. Sant, head of the Smithsonian’s board, told reporters this morning.
Mr. Clough has a strong reputation as a fund raiser and a scientist. He oversaw capital campaigns that took in a total of $1.5-billion, the Smithsonian said. In addition, he serves on the National Science Board and on President Bush’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.
Mr. Clough’s main task will be to help the institution recover from a scandal over its governance and management.
An independent report released in June found that the Smithsonian’s board violated numerous principles of good management during the tenure of its former top executive, Lawrence M. Small, including overcompensating him and allowing him to create an “imperialistic and insular culture.”
“The Board of Regents allowed this culture to prevail by failing to provide badly needed oversight of Mr. Small and the operations of the Smithsonian,” it said.
The three-member committee, headed by Charles A. Bowsher, a former U.S. comptroller general, was asked to review Mr. Small’s compensation and expenses after the former secretary resigned in March following accusations that he was spending lavishly for himself on the Smithsonian’s dime.
(Read more about the challenges facing the new head of the Smithsonian, in the view of a Chronicle columnist.)
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