The earliest records of Faculty Meetings date from 1915. No by-laws define the nature or powers of the College Faculty before 1955. The 1955 SUNY Board of Trustees defined the college faculty as composed of the President of the State University, the executive dean and chief administrative officer of the college, and the academic staff. The responsibilities of the Faculty was to "participate in the development of the educational program of the college and . . . be responsible for the conduct of the college's instruction, research and service programs. [1] Subsequent SUNY Board pronouncements widened administrative representation on the College Faculty to administrative officers. [2] In 1967, the SUNY Board strengthened the role of the college and non-voting administrative officers and professional staff designated by the Faculty by-laws. [3] In 1968, the Chancellor of SUNY was added to the College Faculty. [4] In 1967 the SUNY Board strengthened the role of the College Faculty when it changed the wording of the responsibilities of the Faculty to state that the college faculty "shall have the obligation to participate significantly in the initiation, development and implementation of the educational program." [5]

From 1955 on, the SUNY Board of Trustees has designated the President of SUNY, the executive Dean or in their absence the chief administrative officer as the presiding officer of the College Faculty. [6] In 1967, the SUNY Trustees changed the designation of the presiding officer to indicate that the SUNY Chancellor or the chief administrative officer of the college would serve as the chairman of the Faculty, but provided that the selection of the presiding officer would be specified by the faculty by-laws. The same pronouncements by the SUNY Trustees gave either the chancellor or the chief administrative office the power to call faculty meetings and set agenda, and specified that either officer would be provided an opportunity to report to the faculty. [7]

The Faculty delegated its authority, granted by the SUNY Board of Trustees to "participate" in educational program development and its responsibility for "instruction, research, and service programs" to the Graduate Faculty, the Graduate Council, the Academic Council, Student Personnel Council, and the Faculty Council. [8] The Faculty retained the functions of ratifying actions of councils and committees, appointing committees to study specific problems, establishing requirements for degrees, establishing admissions standards, voting on the conferral of degrees, attendance and assistance at commencement, and election of officers to the SUNY Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council. [9] In 1966, the Faculty was responsible for creating the Faculty Senate out of the formerly disparate Councils of the University. [10] The new Faculty Senate was delegated all authority granted to the Faculty by the Board of Trustees, save the power to hold regular once a semester Faculty Meetings (formerly the faculty had met once a month during the academic year), to hold special meetings, and to establish a standing committee of the Faculty. The Nominations and Elections Committee which oversaw the nomination and election of Faculty Senators, determined the defintion of Faculty and Voting Faculty proposals for ammendments to the by-laws and referendum. [11] The Faculty has remained the ultimate source of Faculty and University Senate's authority. The subsequent Faculty By-Laws specifically empower the Senate to place items on the agenda of the Faculty Meeting, to call Faculty referenda, and issue an annual report of its activities to the Faculty. [12] The powers and responsibilities of the faculty have not undergone and substantial changes since 1969.

Notes 1. Policies of the Board of Trustees, SUNY, 1955, pp. 12-13. 2. Policies of the Board of Trustees, SUNY, 1959, p. 12. 3. Policies of the Board of Trustees, SUNY, 1966, p. 14. 4. Policies of the Board of Trustees, SUNY, 1967, p. 19. 5. Ibid., p. 15. 6. Policies of the Board of Trustees, SUNY, 1955, p. 13. 7. Policies of the Board of Trustees, SUNY 1967, p. 14-15. 8. Faculty Handbook, 1962, p. 21. 9. Faculty Handbook, 1962, p. 21. 10. Faculty Handbook, 1966-67, p. 7.1, section 3.2. 11. Ibid., p. 7.2-7.3, sections 5-6. 12. Faculty Handbook, 1968-69, p. 11, section 1.2, 1.5, 1.6.