he was protecting the Smithsonian's larger educational mission. After the controversy, the Smithsonian's board of regents appointed an outside panel to examine the decision to remove the work from the exhibition; the panel recommended that art not be removed from shows that have already opened. On September 18, 2013, after six years as Secretary, Clough announced his retirement, which would be effective October 2014. In announcing his retirement, he said, "When I became Secretary in 2008, I believed strongly that the Smithsonian had enormous untapped potential, especially in digital technology, to reach millions of people and serve as a resource for those who cannot visit Washington. I am confident that with our initiatives underway in bioconservation, education, digitization and fundraising, this is the right time to announce my plans for next fall so that an orderly transition can begin." Honors and awards Clough has earned numerous awards and honors during his career. In his early career, he earned two Norman Medals, the State of the Art Award, and the Karl von Terzaghi Lectureship in 1994. Clough has also earned a George Westinghouse Award from the American Society for Engineering Education. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1990 for developing and verifying advanced design and analysis procedures for soil-structure interaction problems. At NAE, he served as a chair of one of its summits in 2004, The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to the President's Council of Science and Technology. In 2004, Bush appointed him a member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation and provides advice to Congress and the president on issues of science and technology. Also in 2004, the American Society of Civil Engineers presented him with the Outstanding Projects and Leaders award for his contribution to education, and the University of California, Berkeley College of Engineering honored him with one of the four Distinguished Engineering Alumni Awards. In 2008, Clough was made an honorary member of the ANAK Society, Georgia Tech's oldest known secret society and honor society. In October 2008, the National Academy of Engineering presented Clough with the Arthur M. Bueche Award for leadership in science, technology, and engineering policy. In February 2009, he received the Joseph M. Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award that recognizes a lifetime of leadership, achievement and service to