History
There were various antecedents of the Professorial Board from 1851 to 1886, when the Professorial Board was established. It was dissolved on 17 June 1975 and replaced by the Academic Board, which has subsequently undergone a number of reviews.
Right: A meeting of the Professorial Board in 1965, photo, University of Sydney Archives.
Antecedents of the Professorial Board: 1851-1886
From 1851 to 1886 a Board existed which considered all general questions relating to the studies of the University, or which were referred to them by the Senate. A temporary Board was first recommended, with the permanent Board subsequently established being variously named (in order) "Professorial Board", "Conference Board" and "Board of Studies".
1. Temporary Board:
On 10 April 1851, Senate's discussion of a Committee Report included the following: “With reference to the Board of Management which will be incomplete until the arrival of the Professors your Committee recommend that three members of the Senate should be appointed with the lecturers for the management of all matters connected with the College in the interval and that the temporary Board so constituted be invested with the same powers and be subject in the same rules and regulations as the permanent Board."
2. Permanent Board:
Constitution:
Initially the "Professors and Lecturers shall form a Board, of which the Vice-Provost (Vice-Chancellor) shall be ex officio a member" (University Calendar, 1852-53).
By 1856, the Provost (Chancellor) had been added as an ex officio member.
By 1862 the Constitution of the Board had become: "The Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor, and the Professors of the three several Faculties".
Chair:
The Chairman of the Professorial Board was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts (1856-1861 Calendars).
Terms of reference:
The Board's initial role was "for the consideration of all questions relating to the studies of the University" (1852-53 Calendar.)
By 1856, the wording had become: "for the consideration of all general questions relating to the studies of the University, or which may be referred to them by the Senate".
From 1876, there is a slight change in the wording, as follows: "for the consideration of all general questions relating to the studies of the University, which may be referred to them by the Senate".
Titles:
(a) Professorial Board: The first meeting of the Professorial Board was held on 29 May 1853, and a copy of the minutes appears below:
(Above: courtesy University of Sydney Archives)
(b) Conference Board: The Board was renamed the Conference Board around 1862.
(c) Board of Studies: By 1876 the Board was named the Board of Studies, the name continuing until 1886 when the Board of Studies was amalgamated with the Proctorial Board to form the new Professorial Board (see below).
3. Proctorial Board
In addition, a Proctorial Board had been established for the maintenance of discipline, which met for the first time on 13 February 1857. "The Provost, the Vice-Provost, the Senior Professor of Classics, the Senior Professor of Mathematics, and the Senior Professor of Chemistry and Experimental Physics, shall form a Board, to be called the 'Proctorial Board' to which shall be confided the duty of enforcing the observance of order on the part of the Undergraduates of the University" (1858 Calendar).
The final meeting was held on 22 December 1885, when it was amalgamated with the Board of Studies to form the new Professorial Board (see below).
Professorial Board: 1886-1975
1. Amalgamation of Board of Studies and the Proctorial Board into the Professorial Board, 1886:
In May 1886, Senate adopted amended by-laws to amalgamate the two Boards - the Board of Studies and the Proctorial Board - under the name of the Professorial Board.
The amended By-law, approved by Senate, provided that:
- "The Professors in the four Faculties, with the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, shall form a Board, to be called 'The Professorial Board', the duties of which shall be to consider and report to the Senate upon all matters respecting the studies and examinations of the students, and the conferring of Degrees in the several Faculties - the studies, examinations, and degrees, in the Faculty of Medicine excepted - with power to establish Rules, subject to the approval of the Senate, for maintaining order and discipline among the students, and securing their due attendance at Lectures. For the breach of any such Rule, or misconduct of any kind by a student, the Board may inflict such punishment as is sanctioned by Academic usage, including a fine not exceeding Five Pounds, or such other punishment as those Rules shall have prescribed. Provided that no student shall be expelled, or suspended for more than a month, unless the order in that behalf be confirmed by the Senate". (By-law 27)
The Professorial Board met for the first time on 13 May 1886.
2. Changes to the Professorial Board, to 1975:
The powers of the Professorial Board were further extended to consider the by-laws and recommend any amendments to the Senate, the mechanism for appeals was established and the exclusion of the Faculty of Medicine dropped, the Chairman being elected by ballot at the first meeting of the year and holding office for that year. (1893 Calendar)
The Chairman's term of office was later increased to three years. (1902 Calendar)
With the University's growth and subsequent changes in administrative structure, the Professorial Board was extended to include "the Professors and Associate Professors in the several Faculties, with the Chancellor, the Deputy Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, and the Registrar". (1926 Calendar)
The Chairman's term of office was subsequently reduced to two years. (1931 Calendar)
By 1939 the Professorial Board consisted of the Professors and Associate Professors in the several faculties, with the Chancellor and, in his default, the Deputy Chancellor and the Registrar being ex-officio members. The Professorial Board was to "consider and report upon all matters referred to it by the Senate or by the Vice-Chancellor" and was "specially charged with the duty of furthering and co-ordinating the work of the Faculties and Departments, and of encouraging scholarship and research." It was also allowed to "submit recommendations to the Senate with respect to the selection of professors, lecturers and assistant lecturers". Minor amendments later saw the Professorial Board composed simply of "the Professors in the several Faculties" and gave it the right to submit recommendations to the Senate "with respect to any other matters" as well. (1952 Calendar)
The Professorial Board began to hold its meetings in the newly converted Professorial Board Room in 1965.
Above: A meeting of the Professorial Board in the Professorial Board Room in 1965. (courtesy University of Sydney Archives)
Further amendments saw the "Librarian, the Director of the Department of Adult Education and the Dean of any Faculty who is not a Professor" included as members of the Professorial Board, and those sections of the by-law relating to disciplinary action repealed. (1971 Calendar)
Academic Board: 1975- present
1. Replacement of the Professorial Board by the Academic Board, 1975:
On 18 June 1975, the Professorial Board was replaced by the enlarged Academic Board, a change aimed at opening up the senior academic deliberative body both to the non-professorial level of academic staff and to students as it included substantial representation from non-professorial staff and students. It also provided the opportunity for academic staff other than professors to become deans of faculties and heads of department. It began with a membership of 215 which rose, by 1980, to 249. The first Chairman was Professor J M Ward. The Academic Board gave departments recognised status, prescribed functions and required them to hold regular meetings and to consult with students.
2. Review of the Academic Board, 1989:
The Academic Board was reviewed in July 1989, and the title of Chairman changed to Chair in 1992.
3. Review of the Academic Board, 1995:
A second review of the Academic Board was carried out in 1995, with a Report of the Committee of Review, dated July 1995, submitted to Senate in October 1995. The report proposed that the present board of nearly 400 members be replaced by a two-tiered structure: an Academic Forum of about the same number and an Academic Board of 61 members. The Board would be supported by 6 committees instead of 12: Undergraduate Studies, Graduate Studies, Teaching and Learning, Research Policy, Library and Information, and Academic Staffing.
The final meeting of the old Academic Board was held on 28 October 1996, with the new Board meeting in November 1996.
4. Review of the Academic Board, 2000-2003
5. Self-review of the Academic Board, 2004
6. Current provisions:
The current provisions appear in the University of Sydney (Academic Governance) Rule 2003, as follows:
- Terms of reference: Section 4
- Constitution: Section 5
- Terms of office: Section 6
- Chair: Section 7
- Deputy Chair: Section 8