It's Not All Bad News for Smithsonian

With its endowment down nearly 30 percent since late 2007, with several of its departments planning 10 percent budget cuts and with 27 positions eliminated at its business unit in 2009, the Smithsonian Institution still sees some silver linings in the stormy economic skies.

Its federal funding increased 7 percent over the past year. It received $25 million from the economic stimulus bill. Its public fundraising is on track, with $48 million rolling in since October. Visitor attendance is up compared with the first three months of last year, with 5.3 million people passing through its museums thus far in 2009.

"More people are coming but they're spending less," said Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough after yesterday's quarterly meeting of the institution's Board of Regents. "After those two factors are considered, we ended up -- in terms of income from stores and food services -- about flat. In this day and age, 'about flat' is pretty good."

The Smithsonian's endowment is worth $756 million, down almost 4 percent from January. The Smithsonian has an annual budget of $1 billion, with 70 percent coming from public funds.

The institution will split money from the stimulus bill among the National Zoo, the Arts and Industries Building on the Mall and several minor, miscellaneous projects. Projects at the zoo include fire protection initiatives, roof replacement, animal holding facility refurbishment and bridge repair, totaling $11.4 million. The Arts and Industries Building, which has been closed to the public since 2004 because of structural problems, will get $4.6 million for masonry repointing, hazmat removal and selective demolition.

The regents, in addition to discussing matters of finance and governance, looked at the design proposals for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, whose designer will be announced today. Over lunch, the board talked about marketing opportunities related to the movie "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," scheduled for May release. And the board approved a gift from Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria that makes pop artist Roy Lichtenstein's "Modern Head" -- an outdoor sculpture at Ninth and F streets NW that has been on loan since last year -- a permanent part of the collection.

"It was a great day, actually," said Patricia Quigley Stonesifer, who was installed as chairman of the Board of Regents in January. "Lots of attachment to mission but also some very critical business issues that needed to be dealt with in the current economy, as well as the Smithsonian's future as a whole."

The day, though, started off with a surprise. The deputy director of the National Air and Space Museum resigned yesterday morning at a management meeting with staff supervisors. Joseph T. Anderson, a retired Marine Corps major general, had been with the museum since 2003 and became deputy director last year.

Anderson was asked to resign by Air and Space director Gen. John R. Dailey, said Claire Brown, a museum spokeswoman who attended the meeting. According to Brown, Anderson said he was surprised by the request. "I am not sure if anyone on staff knew about it," she said, "but I think it was a surprise to most people in the room."

No reason was given.

"He mentioned he'd enjoyed the past five years at the museum and will always value that, and didn't give any other details," Brown said.

The resignation comes one week after a congressional hearing into a report by The Washington Post that the museum did not notify workers for 17 years that there was asbestos in the joint compound that covers seams in the walls. Exhibit installers and others often cut into the walls to remove and update artifacts and exhibits.

Brown said the resignation has no connection to the asbestos issue. Neither Anderson nor Dailey could be reached for comment, and Clough and Stonesifer declined to comment.

Staff writer James V. Grimaldi contributed to this report.