Humanities Board Nominee Rejected

Despite intense lobbying by National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Lynne V. Cheney, the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee on Wednesday voted down the nomination of a controversial New York University professor for a seat on the endowment’s 25-member advisory board.

Carol Iannone was rejected on a 9-8 vote. Iannone was controversial not only because her credentials for serving on the board were questioned, but also because she had become a symbol of discontent over Cheney’s leadership. Cheney’s critics contend that the endowment increasingly tilts away from multicultural approaches to humanities studies in favor of projects that underline the primacy of a common Western heritage.

More than a half-dozen major humanities groups had joined in the fight to defeat Iannone.