Administrative/Biographical History
The Faculty Assembly is the deliberative body of the Faculty of Saint Michael’s College. The faculty of the college governs its own affairs and takes responsibility for the college’s curriculum, methods of instruction, research, faculty status and all aspects of academic life at the college. The faculty also works alongside the trustees and the college’s administration to shape all aspects of life at the college. The faculty regulations, which are written by the faculty and approved by the Board of Trustees, provide the structure by which the Faculty governs. Prior to 1952, the faculty of the college taught classes and served at the pleasure of the college’s administration. The Society of Saint Edmund, which made up the administration of the college and held the majority on the Board of Trustees up until that point, was the ultimate arbiter in all governance and the academic, social, and spiritual life of the college. In the 1950’s, the faculty began to hold regular meetings to discuss and make advisory decisions about affairs such as curriculum and instructional issues. Between 1952 and 1969, the faculty did not govern its own affairs. Faculty committees had a role in governance, although the college’s administration retained the ultimate power. Beginning in 1968, under the direction of President Gerald Dupont, the faculty began drafting regulations to provide some form of government for themselves. The trustees adopted the regulations in late 1968, adding a few revisions in 1969. By 1978, when the faculty next revised them, the role of the faculty in campus governance was clear. The full time faculty and instructional staff of the college make up the Faculty Assembly. Full time members of the faculty have a vote in the Assembly, and are eligible to serve as faculty moderator and on statutory committees. An executive committee, made up of the moderator and chairpersons of the statutory committees along with the faculty representatives to the Board of Trustees, oversees the assembly. The executive committee oversees the agenda and represents the faculty when necessary. The statutory committees of the assembly are the Faculty Council, the Faculty Welfare Committee, the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee, the Academic Review Board, and the Dispute Resolution Panel.
