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Johns Hopkins University Advisory Board of the School of Engineering records

 Record Group
Identifier: RG-06-010

Scope and Contents

The records of the Advisory Board of the School of Engineering consist of minutes of meetings of the Advisory Board dating from March 1913 to June 1966, and are primarily complete during that period. The minutes are arranged chronologically in bound volumes and folders, with a card index accompanying them. Members of the Advisory Board in 1913 were: Joseph S. Ames, Frank Morley, [William Lorenzo?] Moss, Carl Thomas, Charles Tilden, William H. Welch, and John B. Whitehead. The committee met once a month, and often called special meetings. Either the President of the University or the Provost/Executive Vice President usually presided over meetings of the Advisory Board, although, in certain years, various professors presided over the meetings. The secretaries for the Advisory Board were: John Boswell Whitehead (1913-1938); William Bennett Kouwenhoven (1938-1953); and Robert Hall Roy (1953-1966).



Other Boards and Committees were appointed by the Advisory Board, or were appointed by others to assist the Board. The Advisory Board appointed a Board of Engineering Studies to act on all matters pertaining to undergraduate instruction in engineering, and this board, in turn, appointed a Probation Committee to decide when students should be placed on probation; this Committee later changed its name to the Committee on Academic Standing, and, later, to the Committee on the BES Degree. The President appointed a Curriculum Committee to assist the Board of Engineering Studies, and an Executive Committee to expedite the procedures of the Board of Engineering Studies. The Dean of Engineering appointed a Scholarship Committee to decide scholarship awards for students. The records of each of these Committees will be found in separate record groups, immediately following this one.

Dates

  • Creation: 1913-1966

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information. Collection is open for use.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

History

On May 9, 1913, the Trustees of the University designated a small committee of the faculty to direct the affairs of the Department of Engineering. This Committee (originally called a Council) was called the Advisory Committee of the Department of Engineering, and consisted of the President of the University, the three original Professors of Engineering: Carl C. Thomas, Charles J. Tilden, and John B. Whitehead, and professors of Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Biology, and Mathematics.

As an advisory committee, the Board made recommendations to the Trustees concerning all aspects of the Engineering School, such as deciding on the exact name of the engineering degree. In 1926, the Board decided to confer the Bachelor of Engineering en masse to all persons who held the "Proficiency in Applied Electricity" certificate, granted in the early days of engineering instruction. The Board recommended faculty appointments and promotions. It recommended candidates for government and corporate scholarships to the Scholarship Committee. It modified curricula in departments and proposed new departments and recommended appropriations for publishing lectures. The Board authorized all degrees granted by the School of Engineering, determined requirements for graduate students, admitted students to candidacy for Doctor of Engineering, Ph.D. or M.S.E., conducted oral examinations for candidates for the Doctor of Engineering, and recommended candidates to the Board of Trustees and the President. In 1965, the Advisory Board transferred responsibility for preliminary oral exams to the Graduate Board. The last meeting of the Advisory Board took place on June 7, 1966, and the Board was officially dissolved on June 30, 1966, with the abolition of the School of Engineering.

Extent

3.12 Cubic Feet (2 record center boxes, 1 set of metal index drawers)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These records were transferred to the Archives by Robert Roy.

Accruals

Accessions: 79.136, 2012-13.UA.006

The bulk of the records derive from the original Accession 79.136. Materials from Accession 2012-13.UA.006 are noted with an Accrual note at the individual file level.

Accession Number

79.136

Processing Information

Finding aid prepared by Aravinda Pillalamarri. Additional processing by Annie Tang in July 2016.

Title
Guide to the Johns Hopkins University Advisory Board of the School of Engineering records
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA