Report of Regents Cultural Education Committee to The Board of Regents
Your Committee on Cultural Education had its scheduled meeting on March 3, 2020. Regent Roger Tilles, Chair of the Cultural Education Committee, submitted the following written report. In attendance were committee members: Regent Tilles, Chair, Regent Cea, Regent Cottrell, Regent Ouderkirk and Regent Mead.
Regents, in addition to Cultural Education Committee members, in attendance were: Chancellor Rosa, Regent Collins, Regent Norwood, Regent Hakanson, Regent Reyes, and Regent Mittler. Also, in attendance was Interim Education Commissioner Shannon Tahoe and Acting Counsel Aaron Baldwin.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
Chair Regent Tilles welcomed everyone. Deputy Commissioner Mark Schaming shared the following Office of Cultural Education updates:
Last month OCE hosted a variety of programs commemorating Black History Month including the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation exhibition, a short play examining the experiences of enslaved individuals in Albany, NY in the late 18th century, and a reenactment presentation into the life story of Sojourner Truth.
OCE will host the annual Capital Region History Day on Saturday, March 21. Students in grades 6-12, working individually or in groups, showcase their history research projects through exhibits, documentaries, research papers, websites, and theatrical performances.
Last month the State Museum opened a new art exhibition: Tonalism: Pathway from the Hudson River School to Modern Art.
Amendment of Section 185.5 and Addition of Section 185.15 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Local Government Record Retention Schedules (Discussion) [CE (D) 3]
State Archivist Tom Ruller present proposed amendments to section 185.5 and the addition of section 185.15 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to issue a new records retention and disposition schedule for use by cities, towns, villages, fire districts, counties, school districts, boards of cooperative educational services, teacher resource and computer training centers, county vocational education and extension boards, and other local governments (Schedule LGS-1).
Confluence of Cultures: Educating the Public on Colonial New York (Discussion) [CE (D) 2]
Deputy Commissioner Schaming discussed how OCE collections are used to educate the public on 17th century colonial New York and shared plans for a future State Museum gallery that examines this important formative chapter in New York’s history and how it relates to the state we live in today.
K-12 Educational Guide to Understanding Fort Orange and the Colonial Dutch (Discussion) [CE (D) 1]
Jordan Maul, Archives Partnership Trust, and Kelyn Snyder, 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher, discussed an educational guide created for teachers to help them introduce students to 17th century New York history and the impact of the colonial Dutch on the State’s development.