dr. skorton: thank you very much. i hear two important questions embedded in what you asked me. let me take a moment to talk about our activities outside of d.c. it is really important. it is a lucky subset of the united states that can get to them all. it is expensive to get here. one of the reasons my predecessors began a vigorous thrust on digitization. those who have access to the internet, most but not all, can review major parts of the collection. also, being in the public sector, where the taxpayers are paying for it in every corner of the country, it is extremely important that we are responsive to their appetite to taste the smithsonian. beside the traveling exhibition service, embedded in your comments about the portland museum, we have other projects on the research and -- the research end that touch the nation and the world. our mission, which was part of the letter to establish the endowment 107 years ago, our mission is to increase and diffusion of knowledge. we talk a lot about the diffusion of knowledg

dr. skorton: thank you very uch. first of all, before when i quoted the mission statement of the increase and diffusion of knowledge, it is incredibly important that it involves not just people crossing thresholds of our beautiful museums here in new york city and elsewhere, we need to go out and help people where they live. as i mentioned very briefly in the opening remarks, the education work of the smithsonian, for example, in stem disciplines, is very well established throughout the country. s people wish to use it. as you know, our k-12 system is a local phenomenon, largely. we are therefore for people who want to use it. that use occurs in every state of the united states. however, i think we could be doing even more in terms of outreach. i think that outreach could and should have occurred in two directions. it is one thing for us to offer educational services and arts nd culture and history and science, or to partner with people who want to do scientific research as the congressman burr -- brought up. it is a

dr. skorton, like to welcome you to today's hearing. we appreciate you joining us this morning to share your vision for the future of the smithsonian, to discuss your budget priorities for fiscal year 2017. the members and staff are also grateful that you have brought some interesting historical items for show and tell. always one of the highlights of our hearing season. you clearly have one of the most interesting jobs in town. i think most of us around this table would love to trade places

dr. skorton. dr. skorton: thank you for this opportunity to testify. on behalf of the entire smithsonian institution, we appreciate the continuous, generous support of congress. this support makes for a huge and varied collections of treasures accessible to the american public. from display of the star-spangled banner, to research on the evolution of the tyrannosaurus rex, we take our obligation to the american public very seriously. we leverage the federal dollars with private support to expand our reach and capabilities. this unique public-private partnership is working well. in july, i was privileged to begin my tenure as the 13th .ecretary of the smithsonian i am most honored and humbled to be a part of this great institution. today, i would like to share a few of our recent achievements, and touch on the two major objectives, the two major categories of funding. strengthening our intellectual foundation, and strengthening our physical infrastructure. your support advances the civic, educational, scientific, and artistic life of our nation. just a

dr. skorton, like to welcome you to today's hearing. we appreciate you joining us this morning to share your vision for the future of the smithsonian, to discuss your budget priorities for fiscal year 2017. the members and staff are also grateful that you have brought some interesting historical items for show and tell. always one of the highlights of our hearing season. you clearly have one of the most interesting jobs in town. i think most of us around this table would love to trade places with you, but something tells me it wouldn't be in the best interest of the smithsonian. so we'll all keep our jobs. the smithsonian's mission is to increase and fusion of knowledge as a 13th secretary of the smithsonian, you are entrusted with the challenging responsibilities of operating and managing one of our country's most revered institutions. the smithsonian is often referred to as america's attic. and no wonder. you are the steward of more than 138 million objects in the national collection reflects america's artistic, cultural and scientifi

dr. skorton, like to welcome you to today's hearing. we appreciate you joining us this morning to share your vision for the future of the smithsonian, to discuss your budget priorities for fiscal year 2017. the members and staff are also grateful that you brought some interesting historical items for show-and-tell. always one of the highlights of our hearings season. you clearly have one of the most interesting jobs in town. i think most of us around this table would love to trade places with you but something tells me wouldn't be in the best interests of the smithsonian. so, we'll all keep our jobs. the smithsonian's mission is to increase and diffusion of knowledge. as 13th secretary of the smithsonian you are entrusted with the challenging responsibilities of operating and managing one of our country's most revered institutions. the smithsonian is often referred to as america attic. no wonder. you are the steward of more than 13million objects in the national collection reflects america's artistic, cultural, and scientific lair damag