Committee on College Policy

University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2008

Collection Overview

Title:	Committee on College Policy
Date range:	1935-1960, (bulk 1946-1960)
Creator:	University of Rhode Island. Committee on College Policy
Extent:	3 box(es) 1.5 linear feet
Abstract:	Contains meeting minutes, policy drafts, committee and subcommittee, recommendations, and reports of the Committee on College Policy from 1946-1960.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Rec. Gr. 131

Scope & content

The Records of the Committee on College Policy were transferred to the University Archives prior to 1973. In June 2000, they were removed from the vertical file in Special Collections and given a Record Group number. The records are in good condition and are organized in binders.

Arrangement

After processing, the records were organized into two series: Meeting Minutes, 1946-1960, and Subject Files, 1946-1957. The Minutes are arranged chronologically and consist of mimeographed and/or carbon copies. The Subject Files consist of duplicates and various committee reports. They are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within subject.

• 1. Meeting Minutes
• 2. Subject Files

Historical note

On February 19, 1946, at a faculty meeting at the University of Rhode Island under the administration of President Carl R. Woodward, a proposal was made to create a Committee on College Policy. It was to consist of representatives of the faculty and officers of administration and was to provide the medium for a joint effort in forming rules and regulations, for structuring the administration, and for deciding on policy relating to rank, salary, tenure, and sabbatical leave.

Rhode Island State College, as the University of Rhode Island was then called, was undergoing extensive change as a result of the end of World War II and the subsequent crush of applicants to the College. As enrollment was growing, the College was experiencing a concomitant difficulty in recruiting qualified teachers due to a lack of policy on faculty status. Previously, no formal system of tenure existed, no provision for sabbatical leave was in place, and no universally accepted schedule of salaries was available. The Committee on College Policy was established to provide standardized policies for the faculty and administration.

At the first meeting, President Woodward proposed examining policy for 1) the administrative organization and its units, 2) the purpose and duties of administrative officers, 3) instruction, research, and extension personnel, 4) the faculty, 5) the Executive Council, 6) business procedures, and 7) any additional categories which the Committee deemed wise. The Committee would divide into sub-committees, composed both of administrative officers and of faculty, which would examine individual matters. The sub-committees would then report to the Committee, which would review all decisions collectively. The Faculty Manual, produced in 1947 by the Committee after thirty-three meetings, stated for the first time in writing what was expected of the faculty and what they, in turn, could expect from the College.

A new President, Francis Horn, began his term at the beginning of the academic year, 1960-1961. With his tenure came a new system of administrative and faculty organization. The Policy Committee ended its work over the summer of 1960 and its activities were taken over by the newly formed Faculty Senate. For information on the Senate meetings, see RG 122.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Any qualified person doing scholarly research is permitted to use material housed in the Special Collections Unit.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	Committee on College Policy, Rec. Gr. 131, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Committee on College Policy records were transferred to the University Archives prior to 1973. In June 2000, they were removed from the vertical file in Special Collections and given a Record Group number.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Leslie Tobias Olsen.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Yuan Li 2008 July 07, updated by Erin C. Mullen on 2011 December 19, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 April 20.
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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Inventory