Robert Paquette, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History, has been nominated by President George W. Bush as a member of the National Council on Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2014. The Council is charged with advising the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
The NEH provides grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs. The chairman of the Endowment is appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, for a term of four years. The National Council on the Humanities is a board of 26 distinguished private citizens who are also appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The National Council members serve staggered six-year terms.

NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars. The grants:

* strengthen teaching and learning in the humanities in schools and colleges across the nation
* facilitate research and original scholarship
* provide opportunities for lifelong learning
* preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources
* strengthen the institutional base of the humanities