Historical Note
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 Description
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 10 year-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.
