This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 18 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 256 items) |
Abstract | The Board of Trustees, elected by the North Carolina General Assembly, was the governing body of the University of North Carolina from its chartering in 1789 until 1932, when the Consolidated University of North Carolina system was created. Records include minutes of the Board of Trustees, 1789-1932, and of its Executive Committee, 1835-1932, on five reels of microfilm; files of the Secretary of the Board, 1922-1932; and files of the Building Committee, 1921-1929. Topics of particular importance in the minutes of the Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee include siting of the University and acquisition of land, construction of buildings (including funding), curriculum planning, and student discipline. The Secretary's files on the committees of the Board of Trustees contain only background materials for reports made by the committees to the full Board or its Executive Committee. Building Committee materials include correspondence, minutes, reports, and other materials. |
Creator | University of North Carolina (1793-1962). Board of Trustees. |
Curatorial Unit | University Archives |
Language | English |
Processed by: University Archives stafft, 1958-1982
Encoded by: Whitney Berman, 2004
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, October 2020; Dawne Howard Lucas, March 2021
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
The charter of the University of North Carolina, ratified by the state's General Assembly in 1789, named forty men to serve as Trustees of the new institution. The primary responsibility of the Trustees, according to the charter, was to handle "all monies, goods, and chattels. . . and Land, Rents, and Hereditaments for the Use and Purposes of establishing and endowing the University." The duties and structure of this Board of Trustees remained essentially the same until 1932, although the method of selection varied somewhat and the membership increased as the state and University grew. Until 1868 appointments to the Board were for life. The state Constitution of that year set terms at eight years and established the practice of selecting one Trustee from each county plus certain ex officio members. From 1868 to 1873, the State Board of Education selected the Trustees; thereafter, they were selected by joint ballot of the General Assembly.
On March 27, 1931, the General Assembly passed the Act of Consolidation, creating the Consolidated University of North Carolina, a system comprised of three previously separate institutions--the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, and the North Carolina College for Women. It also appointed a new Board of Trustees of one-hundred members (at least ten of whom were to be women) to serve as the governing body of the new system beginning July 1, 1932. The pre-Consolidation Boards of Trustees of the individual institutions were discontinued. Though many of the members of the Consolidated Board had previously been Trustees of one of the constituent schools, their purpose was now to promote the interests of the University system.
Back to TopRecords include minutes of the Board of Trustees, 1789-1932, and of its Executive Committee, 1835-1932, on five reels of microfilm; files of the Secretary of the Board, 1922-1932; and files of the Building Committee, 1921-1929. Topics of particular importance in the minutes of the Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee include siting of the University and acquisition of land, construction of buildings (including funding), curriculum planning, and student discipline. The Secretary's files on the committees of the Board of Trustees contain only background materials for reports made by the committees to the full Board or its Executive Committee. Building Committee materials include correspondence, minutes, reports, and other materials.
Back to TopArrangement: Chronological.
The first fourteen volumes of this subgroup contain the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Trustees from the establishment of the University in 1789 through the first meeting of the new Board of Trustees of the Consolidated University in 1932. All of the volumes are available on microfilm. The reel on which each is found is indicated on the contents list below.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees was formed in January 1835. It consisted of seven members and combined the functions and the powers of the previous Land Committee, Building Committee, and Committee on Appointments. The minutes of its meetings were bound separately through 1881 and make up the last two volumes of the subgroup. From 1882 on, the Executive Committee minutes are included in the volumes of the minutes of the full Board meetings.
A partial index of names and subject terms from the minutes is available.
Oversize Volume SV-40001/1 |
1789-1798 (Reel 1) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/2 |
December 1798-June 1801 (Reel 1) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/3 |
November 1801-December 1810 (Reel 1) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/4 |
July 1811-December 1822 (Reel 1) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/5 |
December 1823-December 1840 (Reel 1, see also Volume 15) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/6 |
December 1841-June 1868 (Reel 2, see also Volume 15) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/7 |
July 1868-March 1883 (Reel 2, see also Volumes 15 and 16) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/8 |
June 1883-February 1891 (Reel 2) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/9 |
April 1891-January 1898 (Reel 3) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/10 |
May 1898-April 1904 (Reel 3) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/11 |
May 1904-September 1916 (Reel 4) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/12 |
January 1917-January 18, 1924 (Reel 4) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/13 |
January 30, 1924-November 1930 (Reel 4) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/14 |
February 1931-July 1932 (Reel 4) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/15 |
Executive Committee, 1835-1873 (Reel 5) |
Oversize Volume SV-40001/16 |
Executive Committee, 1875-1881 (Reel 5) |
Reel M-40001/1-5
M-40001/1M-40001/2M-40001/3M-40001/4M-40001/5 |
Microfilm
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Transcription Volume TV-40001/1-4
TV-40001/1TV-40001/2TV-40001/3TV-40001/4 |
Typed transcripts
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Arrangement: Alphabetical by filename; individual files arranged chronologically.
One of the first actions taken by the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees was the appointment of a Secretary. On November 24, 1790, James Taylor was chosen by his fellow Trustees to hold this position. The Secretary's responsibilities included keeping minutes of meetings, handling correspondence, compiling agendas, and mailing notices of the meetings to Board members. The Secretary performed these duties for both the full Board and the Executive Committee.
The records in this subgroup consist of the Secretary's files on the various committees of the Board of Trustee. Since these are not the files of the committees themselves, they generally contain only background material supporting committee reports, etc. to the Executive Committee or full Board. Thus, the researcher is advised to consult the minutes of the Board and available Trustee committee records in conjunction with these records.
Following is a list of individuals who have served as Secretary of the Board of the Board of Trustees and their tenures.
November 24, 1790-November 27, 1790 | James Taylor |
July 19, 1781-December 4, 1792 | Robert Burton |
December 4, 1792-February 6, 1975 | Thomas Rogers |
February 6, 1795-December 4, 1798 | Hugh Williamson |
December 4, 1798-December 18, 1801 | William Edwards Webb |
December 18, 1801-December 13, 1809 | Gavin Alves |
December 13, 1809-November 21, 1821 | Robert Williams |
November 22, 1821-December 14, 1848 | Charles Manly |
December 14, 1848-December 26, 1850 | Charles Lewis Hinton |
December 26, 1850-July 24, 1868 | Charles Manly |
July 24, 1868-November 19, 1872 | Robert Walter Lassiter |
November 19, 1872-February 18, 1874 | William D. Whitted |
February 18, 1874-June 13, 1876 | Kemp P. Battle |
June 13, 1876-September 12, 1877 | Seaton Gales |
September 13, 1877-April 18, 1891 | William L. Saunders |
April 18, 1891-June 3, 1912 | Richard Henry Battle |
June 3, 1912-June 2, 1914 | Richard Henry Lewis |
June 2, 1914-January 26, 1912 | R.D.W. Connor |
January 26, 1921-June 14, 1921 | John Bryan Grimes |
June 14, 1921-July 11, 1932 | Henry Mauger London |
Box 2:1 |
Escheats Committee, 1922-1932 |
Finance Committee, 1930-1931 |
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Honorary Degrees Committee, 1930 |
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Medical School Committee, 1922 |
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Real Property, Committee on, 1922-1932 |
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Visiting Committee, 1922-1932 |
Arrangement: Alphabetical by filename; individual files arranged chronologically.
There was little formal committee structure to the Board of Trustees prior to Consolidation. Consequently, much of what would later be the business of committees was carried on in the general meetings of the Board. Further information on committee activity can be found in both Subgroup 1 and Subgroup 2, above.
The only committee records of the Board of Trustees in this subgroup are those of the Building Committee, which was formed from the Committee on the Development of University Property in 1921. The Building Committee studied and made recommendations on construction and property use at the University.
Additional material on the Building Committee will also be found in the University Papers (#40005), a separate records group in the University Archives.