Faculty Senate files, Office of the President

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 5-3-32

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Minutes, agenda, reports, and correspondence of the University at Buffalo Faculty Senate and its predecessor, University Senate, as kept by the Office of the President. Coverage includes the University Senate from the private University of Buffalo and the establishment of the Faculty Senate in 1955.

Topics include the main issues of the University, including the move to the North (Amherst) campus, academic reorganization, student enrollment, department and program initiations, transition from private to SUNY, etc. Researchers studying events in University history involving administrative decision-making would be well served to consult Faculty Senate minutes and reports.

See also Record Group 12 for the main collections on and by Faculty Senate.

Dates

1923-1976

Terms of Access and Use

Faculty Senate files, Office of the President are open to researchers.

This collection has been minimally processed. Privacy protected information (including but not limited to certain educational, medical, financial, criminal, attorney-client, and/or personnel records) may be revealed during use of archival collections, particularly in collections that are unprocessed or have been minimally processed. Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of privacy protected information if found within the archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose if found within the archival collections.

Copyright

Copyright is held by The State University of New York at Buffalo. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Historical Note

University Senate

The University Senate was created in October 1923 by action of the Council. It was reorganized in 1931, and met sporadically during its existence (1923-1955), sometimes meeting annually, and sometimes not at all for years. It consisted of principal administrative officers and three elected members from each school or college. Charged the Council: “It shall be the duty of the University Senate to consider general educational questions and policies affecting the whole University or affecting more than one administrative division of the University and to make recommendations thereon to the Council and to the several faculties. The Senate shall have power to adopt bylaws subject to the approval of the Council.”

From 1923 to 1932, the Senate had numerous, apparently ad-hoc, committees working on University affairs. Problems reported included graduate work, student conduct, combined degrees, and the evening session. From 1939 to 1942, the Senate again actively studied University problems, and issued reports on faculty tenure, graduate work, annuities and insurance, and budget review by faculty. The last meeting of the Senate for which there are minutes is May 29, 1942. It did not meet again until 1955 when it was revived as the Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate

The Charter of the Faculty Senate outlines the organization’s powers and duties. These include representation of the faculty concerning promotion and tenure, conduct and evaluation of research and teaching, freedom of speech, undergraduate admission standards and degree requirements and review of degree programs, etc. The complete charter is online at http://www.buffalo.edu/facultysenate/Governance/charter.html.

Faculty Senate is part of SUNY shared governance. “Within SUNY, the system of shared governance occurs among a multiplicity of groups across many different pathways:

1. The relationship between and among governing boards, the Chancellor and campus presidents

2. The system-wide governance organizations with representatives from SUNY campuses

3. The governance organizations, which may be faculty-only, professional staff-only, college-wide, or student governance groups on each campus.”*

At UB, there are “five pillars of shared governance:” Faculty Senate, Professional Staff Senate, Student organizations, Office of the President and Office of the Provost, UB Council and Alumni Association.

*”Resolution of the Faculty Senate and Professional Staff Senate to Jointly Adopt ‘The Office of University Shared Governance at UB Doctrine of Shared Governance,’” pp. 4. Online at http://www.buffalo.edu/facultysenate/Governance/resolutions.html

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (6 manuscript boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Files of the Faculty Senate of the University of Buffalo, 1923-1976, which were kept by the Office of the Chancellor/President. Files include by-laws; minutes; agendas; membership lists; reports from the Executive Committee and other committees; see also Record Group 12 for Faculty Senate materials.

Arrangement

Arranged in 6 series:

I. Faculty Senate meetings

II. Executive Committee

III. Committees

IV. Membership

V. By-Laws

VI. 1979 Accession

VII. 5/3/266 Accession

Acquisition Information

Faculty Senate files, Office of the President were transferred to University Archives by the Office of the President, in March 1973 and October 1979, accession numbers unrecorded.

Materials in series 5/3/266 Accession were transferred to University Archives from the Office of the President in October 1973 as part of collection 5/3/266, Health Affairs Records. In September 2019, materials were extracted from 5/3/266 and added to this collection.