Small Resignation

Lawrence Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution since 2001, has resigned. The resignation was accepted by its Board of Regents on Saturday, according to a press release that appeared today on the Smithsonian website. The resignation comes after a series of reports in the Washington Post about Small's extravagant compensation and spending. Cristián Samper, the director of the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, will be acting secretary during the Regents' nationwide search for a permanent replacement. Hat tip.