LibraryGeorge J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives

51 linear feet.

Catalog Number: 1.1

Series List:

• Charters, Laws, Regulations and By-laws, 1788-,
  1 linear foot.
• General Historical Records and Correspondence, 1788-1858, n.d.,
  0.50 linear feet.
• Records of the Board of Overseers, 1794-1996,
  4 linear feet.
• Records of the Board of Trustees, 1794-,
  4 linear feet.
• Votes of the Board of Overseers, 1794-1996, and the Board of Trustees, 1794-,
  11.25 linear feet.
• Committee Reports, General, 1816-,
  3 linear feet.
• Reports of the Visiting Committee, 1826-1966,
  5.5 linear feet.
• Committee on Investments [Finance Committee] Minutes, 1898-1990,
  2.25 linear feet.
• Executive Committee Minutes, 1921-,
  1.25 linear feet.
• Committee on Policy, 1966-1981,
  2 linear feet.
• Study Committee on the Underclass Campus Environment [Pierce Committee], 1967-1970,
  0.75 linear feet.
• Court cases, 1833-1911,
  2.5 linear feet.
• Biographical Files, 1794-,
  6.0 linear feet.
• Directories, 1957-,
  .25 linear feet.
• Committee on Governance, 1980-1996,
  1 linear foot.
• Presidential Search Committees, 1952, 1968, 1977, 1981, 1989,
  .50 linear feet.
• Commission on Residential Life, 1987-1997, n.d.,
  4 linear feet.
• Committee on the Future, 1994-2001, n.d.,
  1.0 linear foot.
• Realia, 1943, 1969, n.d.,
  .25 linear feet.

Agency History /
Biographical Note:
The Governing Boards originally consisted of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Overseers. This bicameral system was created by the Charter of Bowdoin College in 1794. Most votes of the Trustees needed approval by the Overseers, who also approved the Chair of the Board of Trustees. In 1996, the charter was amended to abolish the Board of Overseers and establish a single governing unit, the Board of Trustees. Currently, the Board must meet three times each year, with one of the meetings held during Commencement week. Student charges are fixed by the Board, as is the College budget. The Board also has the power to appoint the President, Deans, and faculty, and grant or deny tenure to the faculty. The Board receives reports each year from its own committees and from the President of the College and the Treasurer of the College, among others.

Scope and Content:
The records of the Board of Trustees are the official records of Bowdoin College. Included in the records are the official minutes of the meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Overseers (until 1996), and records of their votes, policies and decisions. There is a collection of printed by-laws and rules dating from 1817 to the present that document the changes in the nature and scope of the Boards' interests and power. There is biographical information on Board members, and printed directories of members. Also included are committee records and reports from both temporary and long-standing Board committees. See the series list for available committee records. Additional Governing Boards material can be found in the collections of the Office of the President: Administrative Records.

Cite as: Board of Trustees: Votes and Records. George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives. Bowdoin College Library.

Access Restrictions: Some material restricted. Consult series descriptions for specific restrictions.