Identifier

UA 4

Dates

1957-2011

Extent

24.36 linear feet [22 record boxes, 7 flop top document cases]

Abstract

University Committees are empowered to conduct serious, thoughtful analyses of the issues appropriate to that Committee, and to make recommendations to the Faculty Senate and administration. This collection is composed of material related to Administrative Committees, the Academic Senate, the Committee on Committees and other university related Boards and committees, such as the South Dakota Board of Regents and the Hobo Day Committee.

Historical Note

South Dakota State University has an important history of faculty governance. In 1946, the faculty formed a Faculty Association to promote faculty interests and faculty welfare. Although it was not a decision making body, the association had some influence on university policy and decision-making. By the mid-1960's, however, faculty had begun to request a more official role in campus politics. After much discussion, they voted to form an Academic Senate, to be implemented in 1970. The Faculty Association assisted in the transition, and then disbanded in 1972.

The Senate was created to be a representative voice for faculty, researchers, campus-based extension specialists, and non-teaching professional staff. Other institutions have governance bodies, but the Academic Senate at South Dakota State University is unique in composition, authority and focus.

The Academic Senate is an elected body through which the faculty expresses its concerns for the welfare of the university community, develops and disseminates ideas for university improvement, stimulates communication, contributes to the formation of general university policy, and performs those duties and functions especially allocated to or assumed by the faculty, subject to the limitation imposed by the laws of the State of South Dakota and the rules of the Board of Regents. Constitutional authority is granted for policy formulation and approval of academic affairs, faculty affairs, student affairs and senate affairs.

Content Notes

This collection is composed of material related to the Academic Senate and other university committees that perform the bulk of the Senate functions. While some of the committees are permanent, most change from year to year, depending on the needs and desires of the Senate and the university community. For a description of duties for individual committees consult the Faculty/Faculty-Student Committees Handbook.

Material consist of minutes, clippings, correspondence, research, membership files, reports, handbooks, subject files and publications directly related to each committee. The bulk of the material deals with academic affairs, academic freedom and tenure, academic improvements, the Committee on Elections, the Conference of Senates, and the constitution of the Senate.

Also included are files of collected material on various subjects relating to or of importance to the Academic Senate. It is believed that the various committees reporting to it sent much of this material to the Academic Senate. The bulk of the material deals with faculty and students at South Dakota State University. The faculty material deals with many topics, but some items of note are professional staff and teacher evaluations, the relationship between the faculty and the Senate, material from faculty meetings, faculty representatives, faculty rules and regulations, and the Faculty Senate. The student material also deals with many topics, and includes a proposal for career development, student activities, and material from the Student Senate and the Student Association. Also included is material dealing with academic appeals and faculty controversies. This material deals with many topics, a few covered in this material are curriculum, tuition and fees, collective bargaining groups, accreditation, classified employees, the Resources Allocation Model (RAM), various projects and programs which the senate sponsored or participated in, clippings, and material dealing with Resolution 21.

SDSU Archives and Special Collections

Follow this link for more information:

https://www.sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/university-archives

Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

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