Series I. University Council, 1890-1968
In 1888 the Trustees appointed a special committee to establish a University Council, a body to bring about "a true University organization." Each faculty would elect two or three representatives who, together with the President and the Deans, would constitute the Council. In 1892 the University Council was given definite legislative and administrative powers (not just an advisory role) and continued to serve until 1968, when it was replaced by the University Senate. The Council, working with the President, managed the academic organization and operations of the University, including admission criteria, degree requirements, the academic calendar, the date and order of Commencement exercises. In addition to the meeting minutes, the volumes include lists of recipients of Ph.D.s, M.A.s, fellowships, and awards, as well as reports prepared by/for the Council. In the back of each volume, there is a name/subject index for each academic year included in the volume. University Senate committee minutes can be found in the University Senate records. Plenary minutes starting from April 28, 1995, are available on their website.
Volume 1
1890 May to 1892 May
Volume 2
1892 November to 1896 May
Under the 22 November 1892 minutes: "Proposed Agreement Between the Trustees of Columbia College and the New York College for the Training of Teachers"
5 December 1893: "Report of Committee on the Award of University Fellowships", "Regulations as to University Fellowships: Approved by the University Council, February 14, 1891",[Exhibit A] Application for a University Fellowship, [Exhibit B] Report on Application for Fellowship
16 January 1894: "The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Suggestions by William A. Keener and Henry F. Osborn", "Degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy: Remarks by Professor John W. Burgess in Committee, February 24, 1893", "Degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy: Remarks by Professor John W. Burgess in Committee, February 24, 1893 and April 6, 1893", "The Practice of German Universities Concerning I.--The Duplication of Degrees and II.--The Subdivision of Subjects for the Degree of Ph.D.: A Correspondence Carried on in 1893"
20 February 1894: "University Faculty of Philosophy: Report of Special Committee Appointed November 10, 1893 to Revise the List of Subjects to be Accepted for the Degrees of A.M. and Ph.D."
20 March 1894: "Protest of the Faculty of the School of Mines Against the Plan for Awarding University Fellowships", "University Council Report on the Acceptance of Degrees from Other Colleges as Equivalent to Graduation from the School of Arts"
27 May 1895: "School of Mines Report of the Committee on the Regulations for the Degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy"
18 February 1896: "Report of the Committee on the Regulations for the Degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy, January 21, 1896"
Volume 3
1896 October to 1902 June
Under the 13 January 1898 minutes: "Letter of the President to the Committee on Education in Regard to the Modification of the Alliance Between the Teachers College and Columbia University, 21 December 1897"
Volume 4
1902 November to 1906 May
Under the 18 April 1905 minutes: "Report of a Special Committee on the Establishment of the Degree of Doctor of Law, Submitted April 18, 1905"
17 April 1906: "Report of a Special Committee on the Constitution and Powers of the University Council, To be Submitted April 17, 1906"
Volume 5
1906 October to 1909 June
Under the 18 December 1906 minutes: "Report of a Special Committee on the Constitution and Powers of the University Council, Submitted April 17, 1906", "Memorandum by President Butler in relation to the policy to be pursued by Columbia University toward athletic sports and intercollegiate contests, 8 November 1906"
19 February 1907: "Report of the Second Special Committee on the Constitution and Powers of the University Council, Submitted February 19, 1907"
15 October 1907: "Report of the Special Committee on Academic Leaves of Absence, Submitted July 1, 1907"
19 May 1908: "Extract From the Report of the Committee on Finance Submitted to the Trustees of Columbia University, May 4, 1908"
16 February 1909: "Amendments to the Statutes [regulating the retiring allowance of professors]"
20 April 1909: "Report of the Committee on Nine of the University Council Appointed May 19, 1908, Submitted February 16, 1909"
Volume 6
1909 October to 1915 April
Under the 21 December 1909 minutes: "Report of the Committee on Five of the University Council on Departmental and Divisional Organization, Submitted December 21, 1909"
15 February 1910: "Letter From the Director of Extension Teaching to the University Council, February 8, 1910"
19 April 1910: "Report of the Committee on Education on the Extension of the Combined College and Professional School Course"
8 October 1910: "Report of a Committee of the University Council on the Degree of Master of Arts"
22 March 1911: "Report of Committee of Advice"
18 April 1911: "Considerations Regarding the Degree of Doctor of Law, April 3, 1911"
17 October 1911: "Report of the Committee on Instruction of the Faculty of Applied Science Upon the Proposed Six-Year Course Leading to the Degrees in Engineering"
20 October 1914: "Memorandum on Proposed Instruction in Business and Public Service"
20 April 1915: "Papers Relating to the Game of Football, Printed for the University Council February 16, 1915", "Report of the College Committee on Football"
Volume 7
1915 October to 1921 April
Under the 19 October 1915 minutes: "Agreement Between Columbia University and Teachers College, June 8, 1915"
18 April 1916: "Report and Recommendations of the Faculty of Medicine, Printed for the University Council December 2, 1915"
16 October 1917: "Report of the Committee on Nine of the University Council appointed to cooperate with a Special Committee of the Trustees, March 22, 1917"
16 April 1918: "Joint Report of the Committee on Education and the Special Committee on the State of Teaching Concerning the Establishment of a Committee of Reference, Submitted to the Trustees February 4, 1918"
20 April 1920: "Report to the University Council of the Executive Committee of the Council Concerning 'University Undergraduates'"
15 February 1921: "The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and Presbyterian Hospital in the City of New York: Agreements", "The Building of Columbia University and its Next Problems, by President Butler, A Statement made to the University Council, February 15, 1921"
Volume 8
1921 October to 1925 April
Volume 9
1925 October to 1930 April
Under the 21 February 1928 minutes: "Papers Relative to the Proposed Incorporation of St. Stephen's College, Annandale, N.Y., in the Educational System of Columbia University, 1928"
16 October 1928: "Report of the Council for Research in the Social Sciences" [These reports were subsequently printed annually in the Council's minutes], "Report of the Council for Research in the Humanities" [These reports were subsequently printed annually in the Council's minutes until 1938 and between 1956 and 1968].
Volume 10
1930 October to 1934 April
Volume 11
1934 October to 1937 April
Volume 12
1937 October to 1940 April
Volume 13
1940 October to 1943 April
Volume 14
1943 October to 1947 April
Volume 15
1947 October to 1950 April
Volume 16
1950 October to 1954 April
Volume 17
1954 October to 1958 April
Volume 18
1958 October to 1961 April
Volume 19
1961 October to 1965 April
Volume 20
1965 October to 1968 May
Executive Committee of the University Council minutes
(The Committee considered admission to candidacy for higher degrees. A name index for the candidates for each academic year is included in the back of the volume.)
Box 1 Folder 4
Committee on Agenda of the University Council minutes, 1960 October to 1966 February
Box 1 Folder 5-6
Committee of Conference of the University Council minutes, 1918 February to 1940 December
(After some questionable faculty appointment terminations, the University Council requested and was granted a fully representative committee which would confer with the Trustees' Committee on Education whenever the latter was considering the termination of a professor. They would jointly consider what an appropriate action was. The Committee on Conference was made up of the President of the University and six members of the teaching staff. There are no minutes from 1921 April to 1934 November and there are gaps from 1935 to 1940. Included are supporting materials from 1918 to 1926.)
Box 1 Folder 7
Yearly indices to the minutes of the Executive Committee of the University Council, 1924-1959
Volume 24
Committee on Higher Degrees minutes, 1902 December to 1914 May
Series II. Graduate Faculties, 1883-1988
The Faculty of Political Science was established in 1880 by John W. Burgess. This was the first step in transforming Columbia College into Columbia University in the City of New York. The Faculty of Philosophy came into being in 1890, and the Faculty of Pure Science, in 1892. These faculties required students to have a bachelor's degree for admission; focused on research and the advancement of learning; and offered the highest degree, the Ph.D. Starting in 1909, these faculties shared a Dean. In 1979, the Faculties officially merged as the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Faculty of Political Science minutes, 1883-1979
(Before 1957 the graduate faculties were divided into three separate faculties. Courses taught by the Faculty of Political Science included the following disciplines: Anthropology (starting in 1946-1947 before that it was part of the Faculty of Philosophy), Economics, History, Mathematical Statistics, Public Law and Government, and Sociology.)
Faculty of Political Science Committee on Instruction minutes, 1915-1979
Box 2 Folder 1
1915 January
Box 2 Folder 2
1919 November to 1939 May
Box 2 Folder 3
1939 September to 1945 December
Box 2 Folder 4
1946 January to 1952 November
Box 2 Folder 5
1953 January to 1958 December
Box 2 Folder 6
1959 January to 1961 April
Box 3 Folder 1
1961 May to 1963 May
Box 3 Folder 2
1963 May to 1964 May
Box 3 Folder 3
1964 October to 1967 May
Box 3 Folder 4
Subject index cards, 1919-1963
Volume 32
1959 to 1979
Faculty of Philosophy minutes, 1890-1976
(Before 1957 the graduate faculties were divided into three separate faculties. Courses taught by the Faculty of Philosophy included the following disciplines: Anthropology (until 1946 when it moved to the Faculty of Political Science), Classical Philology, Chinese, English and Comparative Literature, Germanic Languages, Indo-Iranian Languages, Japanese, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology (until 1947 when it moved to the Faculty of Pure Science), Religion, Romance Languages, Semitic Languages, and Slavic Languages.)
Faculty of Philosophy Committee on Instruction minutes
Faculty of Pure Science minutes, 1892-1979
(Before 1957 the graduate faculties were divided into three separate faculties. Courses taught by the Faculty of Pure Science included the following disciplines: Astronomy, Botany, Geology, Geography, Mineralogy (up to 1939), Mathematics, Physics, Psychology (starting in 1947), and Zoology.)
Faculty of Pure Science Committee on Instruction minutes
Joint Graduate Committee on Instruction minutes, 1911-1969
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences minutes, 1971-1981
Volume 54
Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Subcommittee on Curriculum minutes, 1979-1988
Series III. Columbia College, 1892-1975
The Faculty of Columbia College (previously known as the Faculty of the School of the Arts) refers to the faculty teaching undergraduate students. There is another complete set of the minutes of the Faculty of Columbia College in the Columbia College records (UA#0047)
Volume 55
1892 September to 1900 May
Volume 56
1900 October to 1908 June
Volume 57
1908 October to 1916 June
Volume 58
1916 October to 1932 May
Box 4 Folder 1
1932-1933 to 1939-1940
Box 4 Folder 2
1940-1941 to 1943-1944
Box 4 Folder 3
1944-1945 to 1947-1948
Box 4 Folder 4
1948-1949 to 1951-1952
Box 4 Folder 5
1952-1953 to 1953-1954
Box 4 Folder 6
1954-1955 to 1955-1956
Box 4 Folder 7
1956-1957 to 1958-1959
Box 4 Folder 8
1959-1960 to 1962-1963
Box 4 Folder 9
1963-1964 to 1964-1965
Box 4 Folder 10
1965-1966 to 1967-1968
Box 5 Folder 1
1968-1969 to 1972-1973 and 1975 November
Columbia College Committee on Admissions, 1898-1909
(Formerly known as the Committee on Entrance Examinations)
Columbia College Committee on Scholarships, 1899-1921
Box 9 Folder 3
1899 June to 1910 May
Box 9 Folder 4
1899 June to 1907 June
(Incomplete set, with mostly duplicate copies, but it does include some with annotations and "corrections.")
Box 9 Folder 5
1910 July to 1914 June
Box 9 Folder 6
1915 March to 1921 May
Series IV. School of Engineering, 1864-2011
Founded as the School of Mines in 1864, the faculty became the Faculty of Applied Science in 1892, the Faculty of Engineering in January 1929 and the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in May 1962. The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) was renamed the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1997. The early minutes of the Faculty of the School of Mines (Volumes 59 to 64) are handwritten and include information about graduates and doctoral student concentrations in the back of the volumes.
Faculty of the School of Mines minutes, 1864-1892
Faculty of the School of Applied Sciences minutes, 1892-1928
Faculty of the School of Engineering minutes, 1917-1978
(The Faculty of Applied Science changes names to the Faculty of Engineering in January 1929 and to the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in May 1962.)
Volume 67
1917 January to 1936 December
Box 5 Folder 4
1937 January to 1939 April
Box 5 Folder 5
1939 October to 1942 April
Box 5 Folder 6
1942 October to 1944 April
Box 5 Folder 7
1944 October to 1947 April
Box 5 Folder 8
1948 February to 1949 May
Box 5 Folder 9
1950 March to 1952 April
Box 5 Folder 10
1953 April to 1956 May
Box 5 Folder 11
1957 April to 1958 April
Box 6 Folder 1
1958 October to 1961 May
Box 6 Folder 2
1962 May to 1965 May
Box 6 Folder 3
1966 March to 1968 May
Box 6 Folder 4
1969 April to 1970 April, 1969, 1970
Box 6 Folder 5
1970 May to 1971 April, 1970, 1971
Box 6 Folder 6
1971 May to 1973 April, 1971, 1973
Box 6 Folder 7
1973 October to 1974 May, 1973, 1974
Box 7 Folder 1
1974 September to 1978 May, 1974, 1978
Faculty of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science minutes, 2002-2010
(The School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) was renamed the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1997.)
Box 7 Folder 2
2002 May 8
Box 7 Folder 3
2010 May 5, 2010
Faculty of Engineering Committee on Instruction minutes, 1913-2011
Box 8 Folder 9
Faculty of Applied Science and Architecture Committee on Admissions, 1902 May to 1908 January
Box 9 Folder 7
Committee on Administration of the Schools of Applied Science, 1905-1907
Includes the minutes of the Committee on Program of Studies, 1906-1907
Series V. School of General Studies, 1910-1982
The School of General Studies traces its beginnings to the nineteenth century when it served part-time students, active teachers, other professionals, and the general public. Originally called University Extension, the school granted Bachelor of Science degrees beginning in 1921. Following World War II and aiming to meet the needs of returning G.I.s, University Extension was restructured and designated the School of General Studies in 1947. The college began awarding Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1968.
Administrative Board of Extension Teaching minutes
Box 7 Folder 12
1905 October to 1909 May
Box 7 Folder 13
1910 October to 1923 April
Box 7 Folder 14
1923 October to 1931 April
Box 7 Folder 15
1931 December to 1947 November
Faculty of the School of General Studies minutes, 1952-1982
Series VI. School of Journalism, 1912-1977
The School of Journalism was established through monies left to Columbia University in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, renowned photojournalist and newspaper magnate, who passed away in 1911. The original agreements regarding the establishment and organization of the school were made in 1903 and 1904, but the school did not actually open until 1912 – a year after Pulitzer died. The School of Journalism began as an undergraduate school offering a B.Litt. Degree to its graduates, but in 1935 the School became the first in the nation to adopt a program exclusively at the graduate level.
Series VII. School of Law, 1880-1977
The study of law at Columbia University dates back to its founding in 1754 as King's College in Lower Manhattan. In 1793, James Kent was named the first professor of law at Columbia. The School of Law, as a separate faculty, started in 1858, as one of the first independent law schools in the nation.
Series VIII. Teachers College, 1898-1963
Founded in 1887, Teachers College is first and largest graduate school of education in the United States. The College became affiliated with Columbia University in 1898 as the University's Graduate School of Education.
Series IX. Other Faculty Minutes, 1904-2001
This series contains minutes, usually one volume, from a number of different faculties including the School of Architecture, Business, and Library Service.
Box 8 Folder 3
Division of Philosophy, Psychology and Anthropology minutes, 1910 December to 1921 April
(Includes correspondence, 1916-1917.)
Faculty of Architecture
Box 8 Folder 4
Administrative Board of the School of Architecture minutes, 1914 May to 1918 May
Box 8 Folder 5
Administrative Board of the School of Architecture minutes, 1918 October to 1931 May
Volume 91
Faculty of Architecture minutes, 1931 October to 1973 February
Faculty of Business
Box 8 Folder 7
Faculty of Fine Arts minutes, 1904 November to 1913 December
Volume 99
Faculty of the Arts minutes, 1967-1970
(Includes the Stated Rules of the Faculty of the Arts, adopted 28 April 1967.)
School of International and Public Affairs
Volume 94
Faculty of the School of Library Service minutes, 1931 December to 1979 April