This collection is composed of material related to the Academic Senate and other university committees that perform the bulk of the Senate functions. While some of the committees are permanent, most change from year to year, depending on the needs and desires of the Senate and the university community. For a description of duties for individual committees consult the Faculty/Faculty-Student Committees Handbook.
Material consist of minutes, clippings, correspondence, research, membership files, reports, handbooks, subject files and publications directly related to each committee. The bulk of the material deals with academic affairs, academic freedom and tenure, academic improvements, the Committee on Elections, the Conference of Senates, and the constitution of the Senate.
Also included are files of collected material on various subjects relating to or of importance to the Academic Senate. It is believed that the various committees reporting to it sent much of this material to the Academic Senate. The bulk of the material deals with faculty and students at South Dakota State University. The faculty material deals with many topics, but some items of note are professional staff and teacher evaluations, the relationship between the faculty and the Senate, material from faculty meetings, faculty representatives, faculty rules and regulations, and the Faculty Senate. The student material also deals with many topics, and includes a proposal for career development, student activities, and material from the Student Senate and the Student Association. Also included is material dealing with academic appeals and faculty controversies. This material deals with many topics, a few covered in this material are curriculum, tuition and fees, collective bargaining groups, accreditation, classified employees, the Resources Allocation Model (RAM), various projects and programs which the senate sponsored or participated in, clippings, and material dealing with Resolution 21.

This collection is composed of the papers of Robert V. Burns. The bulk of the collection is related to the NAFTA Conference arranged by Dr. Burns in 2000, the South Dakota Executive Branch reorganization, and material associated with his involvement as a commissioner on the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (W.I.C.H.E.).

The NAFTA Conference material deals with the Canadian/United States Agricultural Trade Issues Emerging form NAFTA conference. Included is correspondence with participants, and government officials, publications, publicity, talking points, conference proceedings, and a copy of South Dakota governor William Janklow's keynote speech. The South Dakota Executive Branch Reorganization includes material associated with the Citizen's Commission on Executive Reorganization on which Dr. Burns served. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is composed meeting agenda books and publications of the commission.

Also included are minutes, agenda and correspondence associated with the various committees and commissions on which Burns served, such as the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education, the Constitutional Revision Commission, files pertaining to railroad safety in Brookings, South Dakota, judicial elections, and a file pertaining to his State Representative campaign in 1980.