Meetings at the University of Maryland

The Belgian delegation met with students, faculty, and administrative deans at the University of Maryland's flagship campus on Tuesday, November 12.

Center for Heritage Resource Studies

The Center for Heritage Resource Studies hosted a meeting for the Belgian delegation with UM faculty and students who participated in the 2002 Belgium Summer Study Program.  The meeting was held in the Library of the Academy of Leadership on the College Park campus.  Center Director Paul Shackel and Center faculty Michael Paolisso gave presentations on the wide variety of heritage research projects and training programs underway and Sandra Scham grant proposals in progress that will help strengthen the partnership between UM and the Ename Center and government of East Flanders.  In addition, the student representatives talked about the experiences they gained from participating in the summer study program.

Luncheon

At noon, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences hosted at luncheon for the Belgian delegation at Adele’s Restaurant in the Stamp Student Union.  In attendance to honor were Dr. Ed Montgomery (Senior Associate Dean, BSOS), Suheil Bushrui (Baha’i Chair of World Peace), Rick Weaver (UM Study Abroad Program), Kristin Owens (UM Academic Consulting Services and Continuing Education), as well as Department and Center faculty and students.

Meeting with Dean Irwin Goldstein

Following the luncheon, the Belgian delegation met with Dean Irwin Goldstein, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, where they had the opportunity to learn of the University's commitment to heritage, heritage research, and interpretation within the University's academic programs.

Lecture by Werner Disempelaere

The evening of November 12, Werner Desimpelaere, a renowned architect with Groep Planning in Belgium, presented a lecture at the Belgian Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, DC as part of the Patterson Lecture Series of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation.

NPS Workshop on the Ename Charter

The National Park Service's Chief Archaeologist (NPS Archaeology & Ethnography Program) hosted a symposium to discuss the draft Ename Charter.  The Ename Charter is intended to provide "international standards and guidelines for authenticity, intellectual integrity and sustainable development in the public preservation of archaeological and historical sites and landscapes."  One of the main purposes of the workshop was to introduce the Charter to a U.S. audience.

In addition to the Belgian delegation, the NPS workshop participants were representatives of numerous NPS programs and departments, including:

	Frank McManamon and Barbara Little (Archeology and Ethnography Program),
	John Robbins (Assistant Director, Cultural Resources),
	Dwight Pithcaithly (Chief Historian) and Laura Feller (History Program),
	Corky Mayo (Chief, Interpretation & Education) and Rose Fennel (Interpretation & Education Program),
	Bill Brown (Harper's Ferry Center), and
	Brenda Barrett (Historic and Heritage Landscapes and Historical Areas).

Representatives of other government agencies, non-profit organizations, and associations included

	Tom McCulloch (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation),
	Robin Burgess (Bureau of Land Management),
	Mike Kaczor (U.S. Forest Service),
	Gustavo Araoz (U.S. International Council on Monuments and Sites),
	Ellen Herscher (Archaeological Institute of America),
	Julie King (Society for Historical Archaeology),
	Donald Craib (Archaeological Conservancy),
	Pam Cressey (Alexandria Archaeology),
	Mary Kwas (Arkansas Archaeological Survey),
	Rick Pettigrew (Archaeology Channel), and
	University of Maryland representatives Paul Shackel (Director, Center for Heritage Resource Studies), Sandra Scham (CHRS), and Randy Mason (Historic Preservation Program).

The Ename Center, which drafted the charter, intends on submitting it to ICOMOS to begin the formal review and approval process.  [Read the full text of the draft Ename Charter]

Historic Annapolis Foundation Preservation Symposium

On Thursday, November 13, the Belgian delegation traveled to Annapolis, Maryland and attended the Historic Annapolis Foundation's Historic Preservation Symposium, reception, and dinner.

Morning Speakers

Brian Alexander (President, Historic Annapolis Foundation), Ellen Moyer (Mayor of Annapolis), and Governor Balthazar presented introductory and welcoming remarks.  Richard Moe (President, National Trust for Historic Preservation) discussed current trends and directions in historic preservation, and Dirk Callebaut and Jean-Pierre Van Der Meiren discussed preservation and heritage in Belgium and East-Flanders.

Afternoon Speakers

Following lunch, Werner Desimpealere talked about Bruges as (the "City as Mirror of Mankind and Humanity" and Orlando Ridout (Maryland Historical Trust) discussed the preservation movement in Annapolis.  The symposium concluded with a panel discussion on the "preservation toolbox."  Participants included Randy Mason (Director, Historic Preservation at the University of Maryland), Tyler Gearhart (Executive Director, Preservation Maryland), and Mr. Callebaut, Mr. Silberman, and the Hon. Van Der Meiren.

On Wednesday evening, prior to attending the symposium, the Belgian delegation attended a dinner at Carroll's Creek in Eastport, overlooking Annapolis' historic district and waterfront.  Lunch during the symposium was provided by the Historic Annapolis Foundation at the historic James Brice House on East Street in Annapolis.  After a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington (see below), the Belgian delegation returned to Annapolis Thursday evening for a dinner with Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer and other symposium participants at the restored home of William Paca, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Congressional Meetings

The Belgian delegation had the opportunity to meet with members of the U.S. Congress during their stay in the Washington area.  Thursday afternoon, the delegation met with Maryland's U.S. Senator Paul S. Sarbanes at his offices on Capitol Hill.  Friday morning, the delegation returned to Capitol Hill to meet with Maryland's Fifth District Congressman Steny Hoyer.  Following the meeting with Rep. Hoyer, the Belgian delegation received a private tour of the U.S. Capitol building and the Senate chambers.

Visits to Historic and Cultural Sites in Washington, DC

The Belgian delegation returned to Washington, DC and spent the weekend visiting a number of cultural sites in the National Capital Region, including a tour of Dumbarton Oaks by Curator Jeffrey Quilter, the National Cathedral,  The Phillips Collection, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and George Washington's Mount Vernon, where the delegation received a private behind-the-scenes tour that included a climb up into the cupola of the historic home.

On Sunday, Mark Leone, Chair, Department of Anthropology, hosted a farewell brunch for the Belgian delegation at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC.  Also in attendance were Stewart Edelstein (former Senior Associate Dean, BSOS and currently Executive Director of the Universities of Shady Grove, Maryland), Donald Jones (Assistant Director, Center for Heritage Resource Studies), and Nan Wells (Director, Princeton University’s Office of Government Affairs).  Following the brunch, the Belgian delegation returned to their hotel to prepare for the return flight to Belgium later that afternoon.