Scope and Content Note
The bulk of the material in the collection consists of meeting minutes of the Corporation, Board of Trustees, Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, Executive Council of the University, and committees, including the Development, Facilities, Housing, and Nominating committees. The minutes include agenda and attachments. On several occasions, joint meetings of two entities were held. These minutes are listed separately, with the folder title containing both committee names. Researchers may also wish to consult the Corporation Directories located in the Northeastern University Collection.
Records of special committees assembled for the selection of Presidents Ryder and Curry are found in the Board of Trustees series (Boxes 21-22), and the files for President Freeland are also located in this series (Box 49). Files on each candidate document the Ryder selection process (Box 21, Folders 991-1022). These files are arranged alphabetically and include correspondence, curriculum vitae, notes, photographs, and letters of reference. There are also detailed files of the final five candidates (Box 21, Folders 1017-1021), including President Ryder. The procedure for the selection of President Curry is summarized in the Final Report of the Special Committee for the Selection of a President, 1990 (Box 22, Folder 1027). This file details the administrative actions of the selection committee, but the candidates remain anonymous. Files for individual members of the committee are also arranged alphabetically and include biographical and correspondence records (Boxes 31-36). Photos of many of the board members are available in the photography file. Researchers should also note that the Jury Award of the Board of Trustees, 1934, refers to the competition for a master plan of the NU physical plant (Box 10, Folder 540).
Dates
- Creation: 1902-2010
Creator
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Corporation (Organization)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Conditions Governing Access:
Records are closed for 50 years from the date of their creation, unless researchers have written permission from the creating office.
Historical Note
Northeastern University became a legal entity in 1916 when the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts signed into law a bill authorizing the incorporation of Northeastern College of the Young Men's Christian Association. The first two decades of Northeastern's Corporation were linked to the Greater Boston Y.M.C.A. (see collection M13) because, by law, two-thirds of the Corporation members had to be directors of the Greater Boston Y.M.C.A. The Board of Trustees of the Endowment Funds was established in 1924. Its name was changed in 1927 to the Board of Trustees of the Permanent Funds, and it disbanded in 1932.
On January 22, 1937 the Corporation founded the Northeastern University Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is elected annually by and from the Northeastern Corporation. The Board is allocated all of the powers of the Corporation and has the final word on the University's goals and policies. In its first four years, the Board doubled in size, from 20 to 40 members. By the 1940s, there were no overlapping directors of the Boston Y.M.C.A. on the board. The Corporation also provides the members of the sundry governing committees. The standing committees are: Academic Affairs, Audit, Budget, Building, Development, Executive, Facilities, Funds and Investments, Housing, and Student Affairs. The following decades, 1937-1957, saw the Corporation extend its membership to 122 persons. In 1968 the Board of Trustees introduced the Committee on Academic Affairs and the Committee on Student Affairs. 1968 was also the year that saw the first woman admitted to the Corporation, Mrs. Frances Commins Kennerson. A year later, the Corporation welcomed its first three black members, Edward E. Brooke, Victor C. Bynoe, and Kenneth A. Loftman.
In June of 1985, the bylaws of the Corporation were amended to allow for the formation of the Board of Overseers. The additional board was formed to relieve the Board of Trustees of some of the burden of governing the University. Prompted by President Kenneth G. Ryder's call for more involvement by the University Corporation and Board of Trustees, the Board of Overseers was created to provide a talent pool for new committees, offer training for future members of the Board, and be a potential source for gifts.
Extent
30.35 cubic feet (49 containers)
Overview
Northeastern University was incorporated in 1916 as the Northeastern College of the Young Men's Christian Association. In its first two decades, at least two-thirds of Northeastern University's Corporation members were directors of the Greater Boston Y.M.C.A. The Board of Trustees of the Endowment Funds was established in 1924. In 1927, it became the Board of Trustees of the Permanent Funds, but disbanded in 1932. On January 22, 1937 the Corporation founded the Northeastern University Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is elected annually by and from the Northeastern Corporation. The Board is allocated all of the powers of the Corporation and has the final word on Northeastern University's goals and policies. In June of 1985, the bylaws of the Corporation were amended to allow for the formation of the Board of Overseers. The Board of Overseers was created to relieve the Board of Trustees of some of the burden of governing Northeastern University. The Corporation also provides members for sundry governing committees. The standing governing committees are: Academic Affairs, Audit, Budget, Building, Development, Executive, Facilities, Funds and Investments, Housing, and Student Affairs.
Overview
The bulk of the collection consists of meeting minutes of the Corporation, Board of Trustees, Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, Executive Council of the University, and governing committees, including the Development, Facilities, Housing, Nominating, and Presidential Search Committees. Meeting minutes include agenda and attachments. Also included in the collection is a large number of member files consisting of biographical information, photographs and correspondence.
System of Arrangement:
The collection is organized into four series: Series 1. Corporation, Series 2. Board of Trustees of the Permanent Funds, Series 3. Board of Trustees, and Series 4. Executive Council of the University.
Physical Location
23/1-2, 28/2, 30/4, 33/2, 35/3
Subject
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Board of Trustees (Organization)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Corporation (Organization)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). Executive Council (Organization)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.) -- Buildings (Organization)
- Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.) -- Administration (Organization)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Corporation and Board of Trustees Records
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Ken Risley; updated by Katie Geiszler; updated by Ellen Lassiter; updated by Rebecca Parmer; updated by Martha Pearson
- Date
- June 1998, June 2003, February 2005, April 2008, April 2014
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Repository