Faculty Senate Records

Collection

Identifier: U303

Staff Only

Abstract

The Faculty Senate at the University of Denver was established in 1932. Its purpose is to give faculty a voice in University policies and procedures, especially concerning the faculty. The Senate is responsible for setting faculty personnel policies, including salary guidelines, sabbatical leave, faculty review and tenure. The Faculty Senate records consist of the working documents and administrative materials of the organization from its inception through 1999. The bulk of the collection consists of materials from the 1970's through the 1990's. Further accruals are expected. As the Faculty Senate is an active body of the University and continues to produce sensitive documentation, much of the collection is restricted. Only qualified researchers are permitted to review the records. Please contact the Curator of Special Collections & Archives directly for access permission. __Initially called the University Senate, it was formed to address matters of faculty salary and budget deficits that the University faced during the early years of the Depression. Although the composition of the Senate has changed over the years, its purpose has always remained the same. The documents in the collection consist of reports, memos, letters, agendas, meeting minutes and hand-written notes from full Senate meetings and Senate committee meetings, Senate membership lists, the Senate Constitution and By-laws, and faculty handbooks. The collection includes materials concerning faculty requests for sabbatical leave, personnel policies, faculty evaluations of administrators, and faculty salary evaluations and policies. Many of the Faculty Senate meetings, the majority of which are from the 1980's and 1990's, were recorded on audio tape, which are grouped chronologically at the end of the collection.

Dates

1900 - 2008
Majority of material found within 1932 - 2003

Creator

University of Denver. Faculty Senate (Organization)

Digital Repository

Faculty Senate Records

Biographical / Historical

The Faculty Senate at the University of Denver was established in 1932. Initially called the University Senate, it was formed to address matters of faculty salary and budget deficits that the University faced during the early years of the Depression. Although the composition of the Senate has changed over the years, its purpose has always been to give faculty a voice in University policies and procedures, especially concerning the faculty. The Senate is responsible for setting faculty personnel policies, including salary guidelines, sabbatical leave, faculty review and tenure.

When the Faculty Senate was formed, it consisted of all faculty members of full professional rank, all members of the Board of Trustees and administrative officers of the University. Members felt that they were not adequately consulted in matters of salary and budget decisions and the Senate was formed in part to rectify the situation. The Faculty Senate has responsibility for setting faculty personnel policies, including salary guidelines, sabbatical leave, faculty review and tenure. The Honors Committee of the Senate awards the Distinguished Teacher Award and the University Lecturer for each year, as well as honorary degrees. The Senate was instrumental in the creation of the Core Curriculum, development of policies regarding domestic partner benefits, and was involved in the decision to become a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I school. Over the years the Senate has also been involved in situations affecting the entire University. For example, the ad-hoc Committee on Student Unrest was formed in 1969 to address the student concerns that led to the “Woodstock West” action in 1970. The composition of the Faculty Senate has changed over the years. In 1947, the Senate consisted of the chancellor, six trustees, including the president of the board, 12 administrators, 15 full professors, 11 associate professors, ten assistant professors, nine instructors, and three part-time faculty, a total of 67 members. The Chancellor was the ex-officio President of the Senate. The Vice President and the Secretary were elected annually, one of which was to be a trustee and the other a faculty member. The standing committees of the Senate included committees on budget, academic policy, personnel, honorary degrees, and nominations. In 1952 the Senate Constitution was amended again. The composition of the body now included the chancellor, 12 other administrators, and 48 full-time faculty of all tenured ranks. The Chancellor no longer served as president of the Senate. Six ex-officio members of the Board of Trustees were included and obtained floor privileges but no voting rights. The President, Vice President and Secretary were elected annually by the Senate membership. An Executive Committee was added to the standing committees. It consisted of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and the chairs of the other standing committees. A Committee on Instruction and Curriculum and a Research Committee were added, presumably to replace the Academic Policy Committee, which was dropped. A Committee on Student Life was also added. In 1955 the Board of Trustees membership was eliminated from the Faculty Senate. A Financial Planning Committee was added in 1967. By 1971 the membership of the Senate was expanded to include representatives from the Denver Research Institute and the Library. The Constitution was amended again in 1974, when representatives from the undergraduate and graduate student body were added. A number of standing committees were also added or changed in 1974. The Committee on Student Life became the Committee on Student Affairs, and committees on Computer Policy, Faculty Review, Library Policy, and Sabbatical Leave were added. In 1976 the Bookstore Policy Committee was added. Representatives from the Department of Athletics were added in 1984. In 1986 the standing committees were reorganized once again. The committees on Instruction and Curriculum and Research were folded into an Academic Planning Committee. This committee was also charged with computer planning and library policies. The duties of the Faculty Review Committee and the Sabbatical Leave Committee were assigned to the Personnel Committee. Bookstore management and policy was assigned to the Committee on Student and Alumni Affairs. During the 1980's the administration's representation to the Senate was decreased. In 1986 only the Vice-Chancellors for Academic Affairs and Research were given membership in the Senate. The standing committees continued to work with the administration in their respective areas of concern. As of the fall of 2002, the Senate membership consisted of approximately 50 members representing all the academic units.

Extent

31 Linear Feet (32 containers)

Additional Description

Scope and Contents

The Faculty Senate Records consist of working documents and administrative materials from the organization, from when it was created in 1932 through 2008. The bulk of the collection consists of materials from the 1970s and 1990s. The documents consist of reports to and from the organization, memos, letters, agendas, meeting minutes, note from senate meetings and committee meetings, membership lists, the senate charter, senate constitutions and bylaws, and faculty handbooks. A large part of the collection is material about the activities of senate committees, including the Academic Planning Committee, the Executive Committee, the Faculty Review Committee, the Financial Planning Committee, the Honors Committee, the Instruction and Curriculum Committee, the Nominations, Rules, and Credentials Committee, and the Personnel Committee. The materials from the Honors Committee pertains to the awarding of the Distinguished Teaching Award, honorary degrees, and the University Lectureship. The Faculty Senate meetings were recorded onto cassettes from the late 1970s until the early 1990s, which are grouped together chronologically in the last series.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transfer from the Faculty Senate office, 1999.

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

General

AS AN ACTIVE COLLECTION OF UNIVERSITY DOCUMENTS, THESE RECORDS CONTAIN RESTRICTED AND SENSITIVE INFORMATION. There is no accession record. Collection is partially arranged and needs to be re-evaluated. Bulk dates need to be established. See G:\SpecColl\COLLECTION_GUIDES\ DU Collections\Faculty Senate for initial processing records of January 2004 (DEHH 10/9/2007).