Whitman College Faculty meeting minutes, 1882-2006

Overview of the Collection

Title
Whitman College Faculty meeting minutes
Dates
1882-2006 (inclusive)
Quantity
9.7 linear feet, (14 boxes)
Collection Number
WCA.022
Summary
The administrative record of regular meetings of Whitman College faculty, from the founding of the college to the present
Repository
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library, Room 130
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA
99362
Telephone: 5095275922
Fax: 5095264785
archives@whitman.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Whitman College was founded as a seminary (private academy) in 1859 by Reverend Cushing Eells, in memory of missionary Marcus Whitman. The institution began operating on October 13, 1866 but suffered from the little interest shown in education by the students, discipline problems, discontinuous administration, and lack of leadership. It wasn't until the 1882-3 academic year that the institution was chartered as college, and Alexander Jay Anderson accepted its presidency. The support and generosity of the people in Walla Walla were crucial for the survival and development of the college. With the help of many local and regional contributions and gifts, new buildings were erected: administration buildings, new dormitories, a gymnasium and an endowment fund created.

Regular meeting of the faculty as an administrative body also began in 1882. It was Anderson who, after succeeding into hiring stable and competent faculty, installed weekly and special meetings: faculty meetings.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The folders contain the minutes of the Faculty Meetings for an academic year, starting late August/ early September and ending May or June. The earliest minutes are recorded in ledger books. All of the Faculty Meetings are scheduled by the Chair at the start of the academic year. Faculty members met every month, special meetings of the Faculty may be held at any time on the call of the Chair, the President, or upon the written request of any 5 members of the faculty. A quorum at such special meetings shall be 50% of the faculty. First meetings in the academic year (usually in September), announced any faculty changes (names of new professors, visiting professors, professors on sabbatical) as well as the Chair persons for sub-administrative divisions. February meetings usually involve changes needed to be made in the catalog for next year, and May ones address the students who are going to receive graduation honors.

Initially, Anderson, presided over the meetings and kept the ledger book. Presidents continued to preside over faculty meetings and setting the agenda until 1966 when the position of Chair of Faculty was introduced and it was the new chairman that presided these faculty meetings as well as the Academic Council meetings. The Chair of Faculty was elected on a 2 year term, which recently was extended to 3 years, without possibility of election for a consecutive term. The Chair of Faculty also attends meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee of the Board of Overseers, and the Alumni Board, and sits with the Budget Officers of the College in the President's Council. The Chair is the one reviewing and signing the Faculty and Academic Council minutes. At the beginning of each faculty meeting, the Chair of Faculty calls on the Dean of Faculty or the President for important announcements. After that, follow reports of the Board of Review concerning regulations, the Policy Committee and then the Divisions regarding curricular changes. These curricular changes have been screened by the Academic Council before making the faculty meeting agenda. Student Conduct was integrated into faculty meetings until this special subcommittee was given to the Dean of Students.

In the early faculty minutes ledger, the name and score of the students receiving at least seventy percent on a final examination were kept and the topics were mostly geared towards disciplinary and scheduling issues. The meeting minutes have continued to be reports of sub-administrative groups: reports or enrolment, finances, new codes of conduct or by-laws, with various committees starting to be instituted for each of those areas throughout the year. Any changes are voted upon by the full time tenure-track faculty, the ones who are given the right to vote in the meetings.

The Meeting Minutes were first taken by a Secretary elected from and by the Faculty. Recently, the Registrar's Office secretary has been taking the minutes which are then reviewed by the Chair of Faculty, by the Dean of Faculty, approved by the Academic Council and then distributed as official.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Flat arrangement; folders ordered chronologically.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1882-1900
2 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1900-1905
3 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1905-1922
4 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1922-1935
5 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1935-1955
6 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1955-1974
7 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1974-1985
8 Faculty Meeting Minutes 1985-2000
9 Faculty Meeting Minutes 2000-2006
10 Faculty Committees - Division I faculty meeting minutes - Academic group, internal life group, external relations group 1952-1980
11 Academic Council meeting recordings 2002-2006
12 Faculty meeting recordings 1999 February 24-2001 May 18
13 Faculty meeting recordings 1997 February-1999 January
14 Faculty Meeting Minutes 2009-2018

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Corporate Names

  • Whitman College