The Rhode Island School of Design Executive Committee hired Eleazer B. Homer in 1901 as the first Director of the school and organized RISD around five departments.: Freehand drawing and painting; Decorative design; Architecture; Mechanical engineering; Modeling and sculpture; and Children's Dept. The Director and the Dept. Heads constituted the "faculty" with the registrar as Secretary of the Faculty. The faculty was instructed to "prepare and present [to the Executive Committee]...a system of rules and regulations for the administration and discipline of the school" and "to submit...plans for the revision of the various courses of instruction." All other members of the teaching staff were considered instructors.
The faculty served as an advisory body as the Executive Committee retained the authority for approving all policy recommendations forwarded to them. Standing Committees of the Faculty were: Nominations; Petitions; Special Students and Scholarships; Catalogue; Library; and Graduation Exercises. The faculty discussed the academic structure and policies of RISD including curriculum development, class schedules, student discipline and probation, graduation eligibility, and the grading system.
The structure of the faculty was modified in 1934 at the request of Faculty personnel. All members of the teaching staff became faculty members and "Department Heads and such members of the school as the Executive Committee of the school may appoint," became members of the Faculty Council, 1934-1946, with responsibilities identical to the former faculty. President John R. Frazier and the Executive Committee instituted academic rank in 1956 creating the positions of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and Instructor.
The faculty organized as a duly constituted body during the 1959-60 academic year creating several faculty committees: Educational Policy; Admissions Policy; Faculty Responsibilities; Student Affairs; Library; Exhibitions and Publications; and an Academic Council composed of an Executive Secretary, Chairmen of the Standing Committees and a Recording Secretary. Efforts to merge Faculty and Administrative committees began in 1961 culminating in a new Administration/Faculty organization for the 1962-63 academic year.
In 1978 the Faculty organized a union, the Rhode Island School of Design Faculty Association, signing the first contract in 1979. The Part-Time Faculty Association negotiated its first contract in 1982.
The use of certain documents and collections may be restricted. Please consult the Archives staff for further details.
Materials in the Faculty Meeting minutes series are closed for 20 years after the date of creation.
Permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from archival materials must be obtained in writing from the Archives. The researcher assumes full responsibility for use of material and for conformity to all applicable laws, including copyright.
Rhode Island School of Design. Faculty records, Rhode Island School of Design Archives.
The records document the activities of the Faculty Meetings and Faculty Council, 1901-1946, and Faculty Meetings, 1958-2022. Meetings were not held during the period 1947-1957. The minutes document the development of RISD's educational policies, faculty-administrative and faculty-student relations, faculty committees, and faculty governance. For committee records after World War Two see the Office of Academic Affairs and Office of the President records.
Materials in this collection are arranged in three series:
The bulk of the records were collected from the Library Archives Cage. Additional records obtained for the President's Office and Faculty members.
Born digital Faculty Meeting records are downloaded from monthly email meeting notices prepared by Academic Affairs.
Born digital Faculty Meeting records are acquired from Academic Affairs each academic year.
Five volumes of Minutes for the monthly meetings of the Faculty, 1901-1934, and the Faculty Council, 1934-1946, comprise the records. The minutes document the development of educational policy including curriculum, entrance and graduation requirements, class schedules, student discipline, and scholarships. In addition, the Faculty, Director, Educational Director, and Executive Vice-President discussed relations with the Executive Committee and changes in the structure and responsibilities of the Faculty and Faculty Council. Minutes may include correspondence from students, parents, and RISD personnel. Volume Five, 1942-1946, documents the activities of the Faculty Council and its the Executive Committee, restructured by the 1942 Faculty Constitution. Minutes are handwritten, 1901-1932, and typed, 1932-1946. A card index to the minutes, 1934-1944, is included.
Materials in this series are arranged chronologically.
Faculty Council records include minutes and correspondence for the Curriculum Committee (1942-1946); minutes, reports, and/or correspondence for the Committee on Granting Degrees (1942), Admissions Committee (1942), Fine Arts Committee (1940), and the Executive Committee (1942); rules and regulations for Faculty (1938); and the 1942 Faculty Constitution with accompanying correspondence.
Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically.
Agendas, minutes, reports, and memoranda document Faculty meetings held 1958-present. The records document the formation of and changes to the meeting's governance structure; changes in the academic program; faculty committee elections; reports by administrators, faculty, committees, and others; reorganization of faculty committees; the approval of degree candidates; relations with the administration; creation of the faculty union; and special meeting requests.
Established by President John R. Frazier, the meetings are held "to discuss and advise on academic and related college activities" and are governed by the Faculty Contract (1982-present) and bylaws adopted in 1997. Previous governing documents were the constitution (1960-1974) and the Faculty Handbook (1974-1982). The position of chair has been filled by the President (1958-1970), the Vice-President for Academic Affairs (1978-1987), and an elected Faculty member (1970-1978 and 1987-present). The agendas are prepared by the Steering Committee (1980-present).
The minute books are maintained by the Office of Academic Affairs, which is responsible for preparing the minutes and organizing meeting records. Meeting records became digital 2014 September. See Series IV.
Materials in this series are arranged chronologically.
Born digital records including agendas, minutes, reports, and memoranda document Faculty meetings held 2014-2022. The records, a continuation of Series III, became digital 2014 September. Materials in this series are arranged chronologically.