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Florida State University Faculty Senate Minutes

 Collection — Container: OS 1 & 2
Identifier: MSS 2003-021

Scope and Contents

The minutes of the Florida State College for Women's Faculty Senate covers the period from October 7, 1931 through December 7, 1948. Topics include curriculum establishment, interpretation and revision; new courses and their descriptions; modifications to courses, credit given, graduate work, and honors work. Senate discussions involve the definition of "graduate student," "major" and "minor," whether Latin should be retained as a requisite for the Bachelor of Arts degree, and the relationship with the University of Florida regarding extension courses and transfer of credits between the institutions. Senate committees studied student selection at other institutions for a report on Better Selection of Freshmen, establishment of a general scholastic achievement honors degree, instead of honors work in a special field, and use of the quarter system, rather than the semester system. In February 1948, a sub-committee of the Curriculum Committee presented a new constitution to the Senate for discussion, which, after revisions were made, was sent to the Board of Control for approval.

In the minutes of one of the first Senate meetings recorded in the collection, those of November 1931, as the Faculty Senate convened under the new constitution, Dr. Josiah B. Game, noting the Senate's adoption of the Curriculum Committee, moved that the Senate adopt all committees carrying out the work of the Senate that were listed in the June 1931 school catalog. It is the work of the Library, Graduate Work, Curriculum, Admission, Student Affairs, and Student Publications committees, and their sub-committees, that form the topics of discussion, recommendations, and legislation enacted by the Senate and recorded in the content of the minutes. Later, new committees were formed to carry out the Senate's work, such as the Committee on Tests and Examinations.

Among the announcements by Dr. Conradi to the Senate are a statement in January 1934 that the Phi Beta Kappa Senate had approved FSCW for a local chapter and would present the recommendation at the National Council in September, a statement in 1935 regarding the trends in education that were leading toward survey courses during the first two years of college work, and an announcement in December 1936 that the Board of Control had changed the name of the Administration Building to the James D.Wescott, Jr. Memorial Building.

Among Dr. Campbell's Senate announcements was an explanation (December 1941) regarding a questionnaire he was sending all faculty members to determine courses contributing to the National Defense and an announcement in 1943 that a charter had been granted for a chapter of the music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda. Addresses during October 1946 and March 1947 referred to rapid growth and the future of FSCW in relation to postwar conditions, such as the G. I. Bill of Rights and Public Act 16, that would affect plans for college expansion and curriculum changes, and to issues and problems facing the college in the coming years. In May 1947 he announced the legislature's approval of a bill that would change Florida State College for Women to the Florida State University.

The Minutes contain indices for the 1931 through 1933 period (see 1932-33 folder), 1933 through 1936 (see 1935-36 folder), 1937 through 1940 (see 1939-40 folder), a topical index (see 1944-45 folder), and a chronological index for the October 1946 through December 1948 period (see 1946-47 folder). Faculty attendance roles are included in the folders of all years, except 1933-34, 1947-48, and 1948-49. Annual enrollment reports and placement reports are also present in the Minutes. Of special note in the collection is a memorial (March 1935) to Josiah B. Game, which contains biographical information on Dr. Game's life and publications.

Online Copies Available

Select materials from this collection have been digitized or collected from the Faculty Senate website and are available through the FSU Digital Library.

Dates

  • Created: October 7, 1905-October 18, 2006

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

To request permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from the archives, please contact Heritage & University Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. Researchers must obtain separate permission from the copyright holders of material held within University Archives collections for which the institution does not hold copyright.

Biographical or Historical Information

The Faculty Senate Minutes document the deliberations of Florida State University's teaching faculty and activities at Florida State University (FSU) from the beginning of the 20th Century, when FSU was the Florida Female College (1905-1909) and the Florida State College for Women (FSCW, 1909-1947), through the post-World War II years, when it greatly expanded and became FSU, a co-educational institution. During the Florida Female College years, the Faculty Senate met monthly on the first Saturday of each school month. At the first meeting of the faculty held College Hall on October 7, 1905, President Albert Murphree "called attention to the fact that the recent legislature had abolished all of the former state educational institutions, and had created, among other establishments of learning, a State College for Women." At that meeting, Murphree also appointed various standing committees, such as curriculum, commencement, delinquencies, elective studies, library, public entertainment, and student societies. Up to 1920, Faculty Senate discussion items included attendance of non-campus students at athletic events, creation of campus committees, course credits, rules governing chaperoned visits of students to Tallahassee, requests for faculty salary increases, student course requirements, unexcused student absences, and names of faculty supervising the East and West Hall dormitories.

In the minutes of one of the first Senate meetings recorded in the collection, those of November 1931, as the Faculty Senate convened under a new constitution, Dr. Josiah B. Game, noting the Senate's adoption of the Curriculum Committee, moved that the Senate adopt all committees carrying out the work of the Senate that were listed in the June 1931 school catalog. It is the work of the Library, Graduate Work, Curriculum, Admission, Student Affairs, and Student Publications committees, and their sub-committees, that form the topics of discussion, recommendations, and legislation enacted by the Senate and recorded in the content of the minutes. Later, new committees were formed to carry out the Senate's work, such as the Committee on Tests and Examinations.

During President Conradi's tenure (1909-1941), faculty discussed curriculum establishment, new courses and their descriptions; modifications to courses and credit given; graduate work; honors work; the definition of "graduate student," "major" and "minor;" whether Latin should be retained as a requisite for the Bachelor of Arts degree; and the relationship with the University of Florida regarding extension courses and transfer of credits between the institutions. Faculty Senate committees' deliberations included student selection at other institutions for a report on Better Selection of Freshmen; establishment of a general scholastic achievement honors degree, instead of honors work in a special field; and use of the quarter system, rather than the semester system. President Doak Campbell, during his administration (1941-1957) in the early FSU years, frequently addressed the Faculty Senate. One of his early announcements concerned a questionnaire he sent to all faculty members to determine courses contributing to the National Defense (December 1941) and an announcement in 1943 that a charter had been granted for a chapter of the music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda. His speeches to the Senate during October 1946 and March 1947 referred to the rapid growth and future of FSCW in relation to postwar conditions, such as the G. I. Bill of Rights and Public Act 16, that would affect plans for college expansion and curriculum changes, and to issues and problems facing the college in the coming years. In May 1947 he announced the legislature's approval of a bill that would change Florida State College for Women to the Florida State University.

By the 1960s, FSU was impacted by social changes nationwide, and the Faculty Senate Minutes document a wide variety of topics reflecting these changes. Many issues that sparked controversy at FSU were discussed, such as creation of an Experimental College and an ROTC program, policies for outside speakers, and whether reporters and students from the campus newspaper could attend Faculty Senate meetings.

In the last quarter of the 20th century, with reduced funding for higher education in Florida, a growing student population, and a greater concern for faculty rights, topics documented in the Faculty Senate Minutes reflected the expansion of university facilities and services. They included parking concerns, faculty unions, university union expansion plans, faculty suspension and dismissal, computer networking and telecommunications, multicultural studies, and faculty salary compression and inversion. In the early years of 21st century, Faculty Senate discussions reflected a need to more clearly define "values in higher education" by examining the concept of civic responsibility of students, enhancing "Culture of Learning" on the FSU campus, and by identifying the "defining experiences" students should have in liberal studies courses. With the change in state university system governance, topics frequently discussed included academic freedom, collective bargaining issues, and faculty representation on the University Board of Trustees. With the growth of technology, changes were proposed and adopted concerning distance learning policy and electronic submissions of theses and dissertations. Since FSU became a coeducational institution in 1947, the Faculty Senate's major function has been to "formulate measures for the maintenance of a comprehensive educational policy and for the maximum utilization of the intellectual resources of the University." Over the years, however, its composition has changed. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the Faculty Senate included all administrative officers and all faculty members above the rank of instructor. Senators met on the second Wednesday of each academic month in the auditorium of the Rowena Longmire Building. In the 1950s, as noted in the Faculty Handbook, the Faculty Senate was considered the legislative body of the University subject to limitations placed by the Florida Board of Control. Its representatives were divided into two groups: persons whose duties are primarily administrative and other non-instructional staff, and instructional staff. No general legislation affecting teachers or students of more than one instructional unit became effective until these bills were passed or approved by this body. However, the Faculty Senate could delegate its power of legislation on an issue to any other faculty bodies, to a standing committee, or to a special committee that was appointed for that purpose. By the early 1960s, the Faculty Senate became embodied in FSU's newly-created Constitution. Its membership comprised elected faculty members, with at least one representative from each college or school, except the Graduate School. These representatives were proportionally determined. Only full-time Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors were eligible for representation in and election to the Faculty Senate. The Library staff and the Division of Student Welfare (later the Division of Student Welfare) were each entitled to one elected representative. In the late 1970s, the Developmental Research School could elect one representative, and by the turn of the 21st century, University Service Professors, University Service Associate Professors, and University Service Assistant Professors were also eligible for representation in and election to the Faculty Senate. As of 2008, the FSU Faculty Senate is one of the constituent bodies of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates of the Florida State University System. Throughout its history,

Extent

6.50 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Minutes of the Florida State University Faculty Senate and its predecessor organizations, including reports of standing committees, special committees, and sub-committees.

Method of Acquisition

The 1905-1920 bound Faculty Minutes were given on May 30, 1958 by Charles H. Walker, FSU Registrar, to N. Orwin Rush, Director of Libraries. The source of the 1920-1942 volume is unknown. Additional accessions were sent to Special Collections by the Florida State College for Women and Florida State University Faculty Senates.

Existence and Location of Originals

The minutes are archived electronically starting from 1979 to the present on the FSU Faculty Senate website.

Related Materials

There is additional material related to the Faculty Senate Minutes in the following collections: Doak Campbell Collection; Florida State College for Women Campus Defense Council Papers; Edward Conradi Papers; Florida State College for Women/Florida State University Curriculum Committee Papers. These collections are located in Special Collections, Florida State University, University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida.

Processing Information

Processed in September-October, 2003 and updated in April 2008.

Title
Florida State University Faculty Senate Minutes
Author
Beverly Chapa, Emily Gaskin, and Burt Altman.
Date
00/00/2003
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the FSU Special Collections & Archives Repository

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