Excerpt of news article from the New York Times, April 4, 2007:

Smithsonian Scrambles to Regain Its Footing
By ROBIN POGREBIN
Published: April 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, March 29 — As the Smithsonian’s museum directors filed into a 
conference room at the organization’s headquarters here Wednesday for 
their monthly meeting, Cristián Samper had some difficulty getting in the 
door. That’s because so many people stopped him in the hallway to shake 
his hand and wish him luck. "I feel like I’m on a receiving line," he 
said. 

In a way, he was. Just two days before, Mr. Samper, 41, had been 
catapulted from director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural 
History to acting secretary of the entire Smithsonian Institution. He was 
the emergency replacement for Lawrence M. Small, 65, who resigned after a 
tumultuous seven-year tenure that concluded with an internal audit showing 
that the museum complex had paid for his extravagant personal expenses. 

In addition, just before Mr. Small resigned, an external review committee 
identified some major problems facing the Smithsonian, concluding: "The 
Smithsonian’s art institutions have reached a critical point. Drastically 
underfunded, they are unable to lead the nation during a time when their 
creativity and high visibility give them vast potential to affect the 
lives of our citizens."

As a result, over the next few months the Smithsonian will be grappling 
with fundamental questions far beyond just issues of governance and 
oversight. The institution will also consider how to tackle buildings in 
dire need of repair, questionable collections at some of its art museums, 
a lack of money that makes it difficult to compete and the need to improve 
fund-raising strategies. 

With a board made up of august but potentially overextended public 
officials like the vice president of the United States, can the 
Smithsonian establish sufficiently rigorous day-to-day oversight? Does an 
organization with a $1 billion annual budget, 19 museums, 9 research 
centers and the National Zoo ultimately defy the effective leadership of a 
single executive at the top? Can the Smithsonian incorporate increasingly 
popular private-sector fund-raising strategies even as it receives 70 
percent of its budget from Congress and has a board appointed by the 
government?

See full article on New York Times online:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/arts/design/04smit.html?
ex=1176868800&en=6f870759420822cd&ei=5070&emc=eta1