Guide to the Rhode Island School of Design. Board of Trustees Committee records, 1888-2009

Series I. Museum Committee reports
Prepared for the Board of Directors/Trustees meetings, the reports include a narrative of the Committee's activities and lists of exhibits, gifts, loans, acquisitions, lectures, and special events. The reports were quarterly, 1888-1947, and semiannual, 1947-1975. Early reports, 1888-1900, are hand written and not consistent in content. The reports become quarterly on a consistent basis in 1902 and are typed beginning in 1906.

Individual Museum Departments began to provide separate reports during Director Gordon Washburn's term, 1942-1949. This practice ended in 1954 when John Maxon became Director. The amount and depth of material contained in the reports varies greatly with Director. Reports of Maxon and David Carter, 1954-1964, are not comprehensive.

The Committee Secretary usually signed the reports until 1913 when RISD Director L. Earle Rowe assumed the responsibility. RISD Directors Homer and Elliott did not serve as Secretaries. The Board of Trustees elected Rowe Secretary April 15, 1915. All Museum Directors, 1929-1975, have served as Museum Committee Secretary.

The Museum Council replaced the Museum Committee, 1975-1992. The records, 1975-1982, document the Council's formation and actions and include agendas, minutes, policy statements, by-laws, subcommittee reports, budget material,memos, and corresoindence.

• Museum Committee, 1888-1975
• Museum Council, 1975-1982

Series II. Library Committee reports
Created by the Board of Trustees in June 1902, the Library Committee issued reports for the Trustees' meetings. The Committee Secretary or RISD Director, 1903-1909, and the Librarian, 1910-1977, prepared the reports. The first librarian, Eliza Buffington, was hired October 1909. The narrative reports may include information on Committee activities, acquisitions and gifts, library needs, expenses, attendance figures, cataloguing, circulation figures, reference, exhibitions, supplies and the Department of Slides and Photographs, 1947-1977. Gifts may be identified by donor and may be broken down by type: books, periodicals, pamphlets, and slides. The reports are typed with a few exceptions, ca. 1903. The Library Committee, as a Standing Committee of the Corporation, was abolished November 1977 and replaced with an Administrative Committee.

Chronological: Quarterly, 1903-1947; Semiannually, 1947-1977.

Series III. Education Committee reports
Created May 7, 1947 as a standing committee of the Board of Trustees, the Education Committee filed a report with the Board prior to meetings semiannually, 1948-1966, and annually, 1967-1975. From 1948 to 1964 the reports may summarize material presented to the Committee by the President, Dean, Registrar, Advisory Committees, and Visiting Committees. The reports may include information on the Junior School, Evening School, enrollment statistics, curriculum, school activities, and admissions.

Beginning in 1964, the reports document the Committee meetings including minutes with reports given and votes taken during the meetings. By 1968, the reports are essentially a collection of separate reports gathered under the Education Committee for presentation to the Board of Trustees. The report for 1973 is missing. For 1976-1977, see the Provost's reports to the Board. Reports for 1978-1980 apparently do not exist. In 1980 the Education Committee merged with the Student Life Committee to create the College Council.

See also the Dean’s Reports, 1945-1947, filed with the Executive Committee Reports.

Chronological: Semiannually, 1948-1966; Annually, 1967-1975.

Series IV. Building Committees Minute book
The minute book contains the minutes for three Building Committees: College Street building, 1935 June 17- 1936 January 8; Auditorium, 1939 June 30 - 1941 April 8; and the Waterman Street Dormitories and Refectory, 1953 October 14 - 1958 June 30. The minutes document planning and overseeing construction including details regarding architects, budgets, building materials, and contractors. There are nine meetings documented for the College Street building (completed in 1937). The minutes for the Auditorium include correspondence with the architect Philip D. Creer, contractors, and RISD officials.

The Board of Trustees created the Buildings and Grounds Committee on 1948 April 14 to oversee all "existing buildings and the erection of new structures." The minutes for the committee begin in 1953 with planning for new dormitories on Waterman Street. Held monthly, 1953-1955, and intermittently, 1956-1958, the meetings document planning, the bidding process, budget figures, and preliminary construction of the Metcalf Refectory, Homer Hall, and Nickerson Hall. The minutes stop before construction was finished.

Chronological

Series V. Education and Student Life Committee records
Created in 1980 as the College Council, the committee brought together the Education Committee (1947-1980) and the Student Life Committee (1977-1980) to consider and recommend educational policies of the school. The records, organized chronologically by academic year, include minutes, reports to the Board of Trustees, visiting committee reports, policy statements, administration, faculty, and student reports, memoranda and correspondence. The committee meetings were held primarily monthly until 1999 when meetings coincided with the Board of Trustees meetings. The Educational Policy Committee records include records for one meeting of the Academic Affairs Committee (1987 December).

The committee's Task Force on Technology, 1998-2000, comprised of trustees and facuilty, was charged with adddressing the role of technology in academics at RISD. The records include agendas, minutes, policy statements and reports, emails, and recommendations.

In May 2000 the committee split into two subcommittees: Academic Affairs and Student Life, which became separate committees in September 2001.

For College Council records see the Office of the President Committee records and Academic Affairs Committee files.

• College Council, 1980-1987
• Academic Affairs, 1987-1988
• Educational Policy, 1988-1995
• Education and Student Life, 1995-2001

Organized into three subseries:

• Education Policy Committee records, 1987-1995
• Education and Student Life Committee records, 1995-2001
• Task Force on Technology, 1998-2000

Series VI. Academic Affairs Committee records
Agendas, minutes, correspondence and memoranda, and reports document the activities of the Academic Affairs Committee, created in 2001 as a standing committee of the Board of Trustees. The committee meets to "consider policies relating to admissions, education, and instruction at the college, and recommend appropriate action to the Executive Committee." Records document accreditation surveys, visiting committees, academic program and curriculum revision proposals, student survey results, and faculty/student advising proposals.

Chronological by academic year

Series VII. Committee on Trustees records
Agendas, minutes, correspondence and memoranda, and reports document the activities of the Committee on Trustees, 1996-2009. Contained in the four notebooks, the records document the selection of individuals to serve on the RISD Board of Trustees. The highly confidential records are closed to researchers

Chronological