South Dakota State University. Faculty Meeting

Faculty meetings were held fairly regularly at South Dakota State University for the vast majority of its history. The president called together faculty, and proceeded to inform them of happenings both on campus and off. In the early years, these meetings were more than mere informational sessions. Faculty made decisions about policies and procedures, in addition to learning about things of import. As the college grew, however, meetings such as these became impossible to hold, and decision-making bodies like the Council of Deans evolved. Meetings were still held for informational needs however.

By the late 1940's, faculty seemed no longer satisfied with mere faculty meetings. Although they continued to attend the meetings, other campus organizations such as Faculty Association evolved to become advocates for the faculty. By the mid 1960's, even this group was not enough, and the Academic Senate began to form. According to President Emeritus H. M. Briggs, by this point in time the regular faculty meeting was more like a town meeting than anything else, with anyone who wanted to, showing up and eventually speaking. Attendance was not required, and the meetings were purely informational. By the early 1970's, meetings ceased to be held monthly, and were instead held each semester and as needed.