WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee today approved the nomination of Dr. William “Bro” Adams to be the next Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Adams’s nomination now awaits a vote by the full Senate.

“Dr. Adams is a proven leader whose engagement and direction have enriched the State of Maine,” Senator Collins said.  “A Vietnam War veteran, Fulbright Scholar, and Board Member for both the Maine Film Center and Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, his diverse experiences have prepared him to lead the nation’s cultural agency.”

“As Dr. Adams has demonstrated time and again as President of Colby College and in his many distinguished positions throughout his career, he is a true and dedicated leader,” Senator King said. “I am pleased the HELP Committee has recognized his many qualities and agrees that he is well-qualified to lead NEH. I am confident he will prove to be a great advocate of the humanities, as he has been throughout his life.”

On April 10^th, President Obama announced that he would nominate Dr. Adams to serve as the next Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In June, Senators Collins and King wrote letters to Senators Tom Harkin and Lamar Alexander, Chair and Ranking Member of the HELP Committee, respectively, in support of his nomination.

Dr. Adams has served as the President of Colby College since 2000 and will retire at the end of this month. He was also President of Bucknell University from 1995-2000, Vice President and Secretary of Wesleyan University from 1993-1995, and  Program Coordinator of the Great Works in Western Culture program at Stanford University from 1986 to 1988. Dr. Adams serves on the Board of Directors for both the Maine Film Center and the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation.

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