Senate History

At the meeting of the Faculty of Instruction on March 17,1947, President Hauck expressed the hope that there could be created a Faculty Senate as a separate organization of the University Faculty which might handle some matters which are now considered by the Committee on Administration.  He thought that all members of the college faculties should be eligible for membership and that the representation should be on the basis of population.

Following his presentation of the plan the faculty voted that a committee of seven be appointed to study the proposal with instructions to present a recommendation for consideration by the faculty at a later meeting.

President Hauck appointed Professors Irwin B. Douglass, Weston S. Evans, Ernest D. Jackman, Spofford H. Kimball, Himy B. Kirshen, Winthrop C. Libby and J. Robert Smyth.

The name of the organization was later changed to the Faculty Council.

At the meeting of the university Faculty on October 18, 1948, Professor Kirshen, who had been named chairman of the Committee, presented a brief summary of the proposed Faculty Council.  As he pointed out in the introduction, the summary was not to be considered in complete form as the committee hoped that, through discussion in faculty meetings, suggestions will be made regarding its powers, duties, membership, meetings, etc.

The summary follows:

To Members of the University Faculty of Instruction

As indicated in the last University Faculty meeting held October 18 the following is the brief summary of the proposed Faculty Council.  It is not to be considered in complete form since it is the hope of the committee that the various faculties will discuss the proposal and make suggestions.  The details concerning nomination and election of the members of the Faculty Council will have to be worked out at a later date by both the faculties and the Council itself, should the proposal be approved.

Faculty Council

The Faculty Council shall have general legislative and advisory powers concerning instruction on a university wide basis insofar as these powers do not conflict with those of the general faculty.

The Council shall consist of (A) The President of the University, The Academic Deans, The Director of Student and Public Relations, The Dean of Men and the Dean of Women, (B) two members from the School of Education, (C) six members from each of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture.  The members from the School of Education and the Colleges shall be elected by the respective faculties by secret ballot for a term of three years with re-election possible.  Any member of the faculty is eligible for election to the Council.

The President of the University shall be the presiding officer and the Secretary of the General Faculty shall be the secretary of the Council.  The Vice-Chairman shall be elected from the voting membership of the Faculty Council.

A faculty member representing each of the three colleges shall be elected from the Council by the respective faculties to serve on the Committee on Administration for a term of one year.

(signed by committee members)

Copies of the summary were distributed to the members of the faculty for study.

On November 16, 1949, Professor Kirshen presented a revised summary to the University Faculty together with a set of four recommendations regarding the election of emmbers and a suggestive list of items over which the council might assume control.  It was pointed out that the list was suggestive only.

Copies of the summary, the recommendations concerning membership and the suggested list of items over which the council might have control were distributed and are herein printed in full.

Faculty Council

The Faculty Council shall have legislative and advisory powers derived from the University Faculty.

The Council shall consist of (A) the President of the University, the Academic Deans, the Director of Student and Public Relations, the Dean of Men and the Dean of Women, and the Registrar, (B) two members from the School of Education, (C) one member from the Department of Military Science and Tactics, (D) one member from the Department of Physical Education, (E) six members from each of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture, in Agriculture one of the six members shall be elected from the Experiment Station and one from the Extension Service.

The members from the School of Education, from the Department of Military Science and Tactics, from the Department of Physical Education, and the various colleges shall be elected by the respective faculties by secret ballot for a term of three years with re-election possible.  Any member of the faculty is eligible for election to the Council.

The President of the University shall be the presiding officer and the secretary of the General Faculty shall be the secretary of the Council.  The Vice-Chairman shall be elected from the membership of the Faculty Council.

A faculty member representing each of the three colleges shall be elected from the Council by the respective faculties to serve on the Committee on Administration for a term of one year.

I.  The Committee suggests the following motion:

a. The method of election of the members to the Faculty Council shall be determined by the various Colleges, the School of Education, the Department of Military Science and Tactics, and the Department of Physical Education, except that the election shall be by secret ballot and twice as many candidates shall be nominated as are required for election.

b. To avoid having all members of the Faculty Council end their tenure of office at the same time, each of the Colleges, in the initial election, shall elect two of its members for a term of one year, two for a term of two years, and two for a term of three years, thereafter, all members shall be elcted for a term of three years.

c. In the School of Education one member shall be elected for a term of two years, and one member shall be elected for a term of three years.

d. The one member from the Department of Military Science and Tactics and the one member from the Department of Physical Education shall be elected for a term of three years.

II. The following list is suggestive only and does not mean that the Faculty Council will have full powers covering each item. To a large extent the actual jurisdiction, power, and responsibility of the Faculty Council will be determined by experience as well as the active participation of the Council’s members.  It is desirable, however, to indicate that some, if not all, of the following items might very well be included, either for discussion or for matter of policy on which the Council might have power to act.

a. Introduction and elimination of required general service courses.

b. Standards of student performance.

c. Qualifications of the teaching faculty.

d. Standards of teaching.

e. Recommendations concerning minimum and maximum teaching loads.

f. Assembling and distributing items of general interest to the University.

g. Faculty-student relations.

h. Student organization.

i. Tenure, promotion, salary, and retirement.

j. Admission requirements.

k. Selection of University Committees.

l. Acting in an advisory capacity to the President.

After discussion it was voted, on motion of Professor Evans, that the faculty approve the organization of a Faculty Council as outlined in the Summary.

The Faculty then voted, on motion of Mr. Loring, after accepting an amendment by Professor Panunzio, to adopt the four recommendations of the Committee on Membership.

As amended, these read as follows:

1. The method of election of the members to the Faculty Council shall be determined by the various colleges, the School of Education, the Department of Military Science and Tactics, and the Department of Physical Education, except that the election shall be by secret ballot and at least twice as many candidates shall be nominated as are required for election.

2. To avoid having all members of the Faculty Council end their tenure of office at the same time, each of the Colleges, in the initial election, shall elect two of its members for a term of one year, two for a term of two years, and two for a term of three years.  Thereafter, all members shall be elected for a term of three years.

3. In the School of Education one member shall be elected for a term of two years, and one member shall be elected for a term of three years.

4. The one member from the Department of Military Science and Tactics and the one member from the Department of Physical Education shall be elected for a term of three years.

It was then voted to hold the elections to the council prior to the opening of the Christmas recess, December 16, 1949.

The several divisions of the College of Agriculture held their elections on December 5, and chose the following members:

College of Agriculture

• Professor Robert I. Ashmen, two year
• Professor Marion D. Sweetman, two years
• Professor Winthrop C. Libby, one year
• Professor J. Thomas Pedlow, one year

Agricultural Experiment Station

• Director Fred Griffee, three years

Agricultural Extension Service

• Assistant Director George E. Lord, three years

Representative on the Committee on Administration

• Professor Winthrop C. Libby

The College of Arts and Sciences held its election on December 5, and chose the following members:

• Professor Alice R. Stewart, three years
• Professor Himy B. Kirshen, three years
• Professor Spofford H. Kimball, two years
• Professor Benjamin R. Speicher, two years
• Professor Cecil J. Reynolds, one year
• Professor John E. Steward, one year

Representative on the Committee on Administration

• Professor Alice R. Stewart

The College of Technology reported the following elections on December 21:

• Professor Joseph M. Trefethen, three years
• Professor Benjamin C. Kent, three years
• Professor Weston S. Evans, two years
• Professor Hamilton Gray, two years
• Professor Irving H. Prageman, one year
• Assistant Professor John F. Lee, one year

Representative on the Committee on Administration

• Professor Weston S. Evans

The School of Education held its elections on January 3, 1950 and chose the following members:

• Professor John R. Crawford, three years
• Professor Ernest Jackman, two years

The Department of Physical Education and Athletics held its election on December 7, and chose the following member:

• Professor Stanley M. Wallace, three years

The Department of Military Science and Tactics held its election on December 12, and chose the following member:

• Major Herbert S. Ingraham, three years