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Xavier University Senate records

 Collection
Identifier: XUA-21

Scope and Content

This is a collection of documents stemming from the activity of the Xavier University Senate (1971- circa 1980). The University Senate had been established to promote more university-wide participation in university governance. Documents include meeting agendas, minutes, meeting discussion materials, the University Senate Constitution, and Senate Administrative Bylaws.

Dates

  • Creation: 1970-1980

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Restricted access. Please contact the Xavier University Archives staff.

History of the Xavier University Senate

The Xavier University Senate existed from 1971 to about 1980.

Roger Fortin in his book "To See Great Wonders: a History of Xavier University, 1831-2006" gives some background on the University Senate: "In the summer of 1970, President O'Connor sent to the trustees a copy of Dean McCoy's 'Report of the Committee to Study a University Senate,' recommending the establishment of a Senate in order to enlarge university governance. In August the trustees approved the report's recommendation. The University Senate, which was advisory to the president, consisted of 41 administrators, faculty, students and staff." (Fortin, 238) The Senate met for the first time on March 10, 1971. "It addressed a variety of issues, ranging from the university's fund-raising efforts, campus life, and athletic programs to academic life, recruitment objectives and budgetary matters." (Fortin, 238) It is not clear exactly when, how or why the Senate went out of existence. The last meeting for which there are minutes in the archives took place on October 31, 1980. John J. LaRocca, S.J., who was vice chairman of the Senate in the spring of 1980, believes that the Senate voted itself out of existence sometime during the 1980-81 academic year.

Extent

.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection consists of various documents from the Xavier University Senate. Documents include meeting agendas, minutes, meeting related materials, membership lists, and foundational documents of the organization..

Statement of Arrangement

Materials are arranged in three series: 1. Senate governance, 2. minutes and materials, and 3. Senate Executive Committee minutes and materials. Each series is arranged chronologically.

Processing Information

This collection was reprocessed into its current arrangement and description as part of a major University Archives reprocessing project in 2012-2013. This reprocessing project was largely an effort to disband a record group system, developed in the late 1970s, used to arrange university records. The record group scheme had been established by the first University Archivist, Lee Bennish, SJ, and chiefly organized materials by originating office and organizational structure. After Bennish’s tenure, oversight of the archives changed several times and resulted in a lack of adherence to the record group scheme for new acquisitions. The 2012-2013 processing project also sought to incorporate records for which little acquisition or contextual information existed. The project staff primarily reorganized records into subject-based collections. Occasionally subjects coincided with offices of origin (e.g. Subject, Presidents; Office, Office of the President; Collection, Xavier University President’s Office). This subject-based arrangement makes it difficult to identify or describe the collections by office of origin but administrative project records do indicate transfers and connections between original record groups and 2012-2013 collections. During the project, records were rehoused in archival folders and boxes, and new finding aids were created using the OhioLINK Finding Aid Creation Tool.

As of 2017, University Archives no longer employs the 2012-2013 system of arranging collections by subject.

Title
Xavier University Senate records
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Thomas Kennealy, S.J.
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the University Archives and Special Collections, Xavier University Library Repository

Contact:
3800 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati Ohio 45207 US
513-745-4821