University of Maine System. Board of Trustee Records
Scope and Contents
The records mainly contain textual information particularly meeting agendas, minutes, reports, notes, and supporting material from University of Maine Board of Trustee and various committees (both standing and ad-hoc committees), biographical information related to individual University of Maine trustees, chairs, sectaries, and clerks, and various files on subjects under consideration by the Board.
Dates
- 1862-2000
- Majority of material found within 1950-1980
Restrictions on Access
Kept at Fogler Library's offsite storage facility. One week's notice required for retrieval. Personal identifiable and legally protected information will be redacted before release.
The University of Maine System Office should be contacted regarding material stored there. Confidential information will also be redacted from files stored at University of Maine System Office.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Information on literary rights available in the repository.
Conditions Governing Use
Information on literary rights available in the Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department.
Biographical / Historical
The University of Maine was founded in 1865 as the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts; in 1897 it became the University of Maine. The University of Maine System was created in 1968 by the Maine State Legislature "to develop, maintain and support a cohesive structure of public higher education in the State of Maine...unifying the University of Maine, Gorham State College, Farmington State College, Aroostook State College, Washington State College and Fort Kent State College.".
The board of trustees for the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts met for the first time in Augusta on April 25, 1865. The board contained 16 members representing the counties of the state. The first clerk of the board was S.L. Goodale. The first elected president of the board was Hannibal Hamlin (who served as vice U.S. president to Abraham Lincoln) and the first treasurer was Phinehas T. Barnes. The first executive committee of the board was also formed in 1865. At a board meeting in January 23, 1866 Phinehas T. Barnes replaced Hannibal Hamlin as the president of the board. In the early years of the board there was significant turnover in board members. The number of members required was also changed in 1867 from 16 to 7.
At a special meeting in 1897, the Board of Trustees approved the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts changing its name to the University of Maine. The first president of the University of Maine board of trustees was Henry Lord.
The formation of the University of Maine System in 1968 meant the the Board of Trustees, in consultation with the Chancellor were now responsible for governing and planning body of the whole System. The Board of Trustees oversees the System in areas such as academic programs, faculty tenure, tuition rates and operating budgets.
The Board currently consists of 16 members, 15 of which are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Maine Legislature. The trustees are all volunteers. The Maine Commissioner of Education serves as a member ex officio. Members are appointed for a five-year term and may be reappointed once. A student member of the Board is appointed for a single two-year term. The Board meets at the different University of Maine campuses across the state.
Each of the seven universities has a Board of Visitors. Each Board of Visitors consist of up to 20 members recommended by the campus presidents and confirmed by the Board of Trustees.
Extent
19 boxes
6 boxes (Half size boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The Board of Trustees are arranged intellectually by the series 1. Committee Records, 2. Biographical Files, 3. Subject Files, and 4. Corporate Records.
When possible the physical original order of the material was maintained. Some file names were changed to make them more meaningful and to correct errors. Items in Box 13 were incorrectly labelled as “finished business”. Most of this material was merged into the relevant existing folders. New folders were created for those subjects where there was not an existing folder. There appeared to be an unsuccessful attempt in Box 12 to arrange the folders in alphabetical order by last name. For preservation purposes the meeting minute volumes in boxes 18b-24 were moved into boxes having previously been stacked loosely on the shelves.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Box 4 contains a wooden shelving bookend which was shelved with the original folios and includes details of a previous storage location. Box 17 F11 contains tape recordings of University of Maine President Howard R. Neville's speech at the January 1974 University of Maine convocation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
University of Maine's own records. Likely contains a mixture of curated records transferred from the clerks of the board of trustees and secretary of trustees and material curated from University of Maine administrator's records. A document from 1973 shows that discussions were had between University of Maine Fogler Library staff and Mrs. Margaret Dexter, Clerk of the Board of Trustees, Miss Vivian Massey, Exec. Secretary, and Mrs. Mary Call regarding the transfer of "non-confidential" material to Special Collections. The document also refers to the fact that minutes of the public board meetings are regularly sent to Special Collections.
The contents of Box 18a were transferred to the Library Annex from the University of Maine System Office on 03/04/2016.
Box 17, Folder 12 was transferred to Special Collections as accession #2017-0519.
Box 17, Folder 13 was transferred to the Library Annex from the office of the former head of special collections Richard Hollinger.
Box 18a Volumes 1b-4 and Folder 2 were transferred to the Library Annex from the office of Richard Hollinger in 2021.
Box 25 was transferred to the Library Annex from Special Collections in May 2022.
Accruals
Accruals for Board of Trustee records are anticipated as material is identified and transferred from the University of Maine System Office to Fogler Library for storage. Since 1997 some Board of Trustee records have been posted to the University of Maine System webpages, including meeting minutes and agendas and policies and procedures (http://www.maine.edu/about-the-system/board-of-trustees/).
Bibliography
David C. Smith, "The First Century A History of the University of Maine 1865-1965" (University Maine at Orono Press, 1979)
General
The records former identification number was SpC MS 586.
Processing Information
Boxes 1-24 were processed by Matthew Revitt, January-February 2016 and Box 25 in May 2022, Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department. Processing involved a collection survey and intellectual arrangement into series, rehousing in appropriate archival folders and boxes (where needed), folder numbering and titling (where needed), and the creation of this finding aid.
- Agendas Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Biographies Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Black-and-white photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Budgets Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Bylaws Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Clippings Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- College presidents -- Maine Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- College trustees -- Maine -- Orono Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Educational planning -- Maine Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Financial statements Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Fraternal organizations -- Maine Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Legal documents Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Letters (Correspondence) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Memorandums Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Minutes Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Newspapers -- Maine Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Notes Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Orono (Me.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Personnel records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Press releases Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Public relations Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Reports Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- State universities and colleges -- Maine -- Planning Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges -- Administration Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- University of Maine System
- University of Maine System. Board of Trustees
- University of Maine System. Chancellor's Office
- Title
- University Of Maine System. Board Of Trustees Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Matthew Revitt
- Date
- February 26, 2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for uncoded script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Raymond H. Fogler Library University Archives Repository
5729 Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono ME 04469-5729 United States
207-581-1686
