September 25, 2000

KU professor nominated to National Humanities post

Contact: Susie Fagan, University Relations, (785) 864-8860.

LAWRENCE - Donald Fixico, director of the University of Kansas Indigenous Nations Studies Program and a KU history professor, has been nominated as a member of the National Council on the Humanities.

President Bill Clinton announced the nomination last week. The nomination must next be confirmed by a Senate committee, likely in November.

"The council serves an important role in the growth and development of humanities programs throughout the nation," said Fixico, who is an American Indian of the Sac and Fox, Shawnee, Creek and Seminole tribes. "It's an honor to be selected."

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) first contacted Fixico about serving on the council a few months ago, and the appointment process has continued since then.

The council meets three times a year to review grant applications and to make recommendations to the chairman regarding NEH policies, programs and procedures. Council members serve six-year terms.

Fixico joined the KU faculty in 1999 and guided the Indigenous Nations Studies Program through its inaugural year. The program encourages research into the traditions, diversity, cultural survival and aspirations for self-determination of American Indian peoples.

"Donald Fixico is a wonderful resource for KU, and this nomination is another reflection of that," Chancellor Robert Hemenway said. "The council and the nation will benefit from his service."

Fixico, of Baldwin City, has also served as an exchange professor at universities in England and Germany.

His newest book, "The Urban Indian Experience in America," was published this month. Fixico's other publications include the books "Termination and Relocation: Federal Indian Policy, 1945-1960," "Urban Indians," and "The Invasion of Indian Country in the Twentieth Century: American Capitalism and Tribal Natural Resources."

He has edited two books, "An Anthology of Western Great Lakes Indian History" and "Rethinking American Indian History."

Fixico received his bachelor's degree, master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.

Established as an independent federal agency in 1965, the NEH is the largest funder of humanities programs in the United States.

Its mission is to enrich U.S. cultural life by promoting knowledge of human history, thought and culture throughout the nation. It accomplishes that mission by providing grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research and public programs.

NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and radio stations, and to individual scholars.