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RG 2.4
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. FACULTY OF MEDICINE.
Minutes, 1811-1818; 1820-1823; 1846-1850; 1856-2001.
5.6 cubic feet (37 volumes and 5 boxes)

SUMMARY:
Minutes of the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the City of New York (founded 1807), and its successor, the Faculty of Medicine of Columbia University (1891-present). The topics discussed are varied but usually include faculty appointments; results of examination of students for the medical degree (sometimes including grades); curriculum; finances; and physical plant. Correspondence received is often copied into the minutes or, later in the 19th century, pasted in.

Minutes before 1922 are exclusively related to the College of Physicians & Surgeons. Thereafter they often also document dental, nursing and public health education. In addition, because of the 1911 affiliation of Columbia University and Presbyterian Hospital to form the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the 20th century minutes also include discussion of Presbyterian Hospital affairs.

In the 20th century the huge growth in the size of the faculty made its meetings less important than they had been in the 19th century. The Committee on Administration (1902-1968) and its successors, the Chairmen's Advisory Committee to the Dean (est. 1968) and the Executive Committee of the Faculty (est. 1976), were more likely to exercise actual decision-making power.

HISTORICAL NOTE:
Before charter changes in 1826, the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) were also the College Trustees. The minutes included here from that period are identified as being from the meetings of the Trustees, but they are not identical to the minutes of the parallel P&S Board of Trustees minutes also held by Archives & Special Collections.

After the 1891 merger with Columbia University, the P&S name was retained but the medical school became officially known as "the Faculty of Medicine of Columbia University." During the 20th century the faculty of medicine often included other of the University's health science schools. The School of Dental and Oral Surgery was part of the faculty of medicine from 1945 to 1959, while being an independent faculty before and after those dates. The Mailman School of Public Health (from 1922) and the School of Nursing (from 1937) were included in the faculty of medicine through 2000, after which they were constituted as separate faculties. In addition, the faculty changes of 2000 also saw the creation of a separate Faculty of Health Sciences, presided over by the Vice President and Dean of Health Sciences, which was responsible for division-wide issues and for faculty appointments in all four health science schools of the University.

ACCESS:

Columbia University records are closed to outside researchers for 25 years from date of creation.

RELATED RECORDS:
Researchers should use the minutes in conjunction with the Board of Trustees' minutes (1807-1891) and with the minutes of the Committee on Administration (1902-1968), the Chairmen's Advisory Committee to the Dean (1968-c.1990), and the Executive Committee of the Faculty (from 1976).