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Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
[Identification of item], Faculty Club of Duke University records, University Archives, Duke University.
Gift; 1948; 48-1837
Gift; 1966; 66-202
Processed by Jane Veronica Charles
Completed July 2000
Encoded by Emily Glenn, April 2003
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
The Faculty Club of Duke University is a non-stock corporation chartered by the State of North Carolina in 1933. Its origins date to the formation of the Faculty Club of Trinity College in 1918. History professor William K. Boyd served as this organization's first president. The club had fifteen charter members. The four core officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) constituted a Board of Governors. The Board was in charge of elections, committees, bylaws, and finances. Club membership included active, associate, and honorary faculty (persons of distinction who had performed services for the U.S., North Carolina, or Trinity College). All faculty and officers of administration and instruction were eligible to join the club.
The purpose of the club was to foster good fellowship among members; to contribute to their social life; and to promote discussion of scholarly matters as well as matters of general interest. In 1932 the Faculty Club proposed a plan for a university medical guild, which generated interest resulting in the creation of the present medical and hospital care plan for the faculty and staff. During the 1940s a member described the Faculty Club as the "sole medium through which the entire faculty meets in a social way." The organization focused on both leisure and intellectual concerns. Members enjoyed annual picnics, Christmas parties, smokers, athletic events, and other activities. They also organized and attended lectures about both national and international issues, and sponsored joint meetings with the Faculty Club of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Two major concerns of the club were improving faculty-student relations and securing a permanent home. The members had been meeting in various locations on campus and in the University House, the former B. N. Duke Estate in Durham known as "Four Acres." The Nello Teer, Jr. House on Roxboro Road in Durham became the site of the club in 1968. This proved unsatisfactory because of the distance from campus, and plans were soon underway to build a new facility. The Faculty Club, completed around 1971, is located in Duke Forest near the University golf course.
Records were created by members and officers of the Faculty Club of Trinity College (and Duke University) between 1918 and 1976. The records consist of one box of foldered materials and one volume of Faculty Club records (1918 to 1933), which includes minutes of the Board of Governors. The collection primarily contains reports, correspondence, and minutes. It also consists of memoranda, agendas, programs, lists, questionnaires, the organization's charter and bylaws, and newspaper clippings.
These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.
Contains a certified copy of the Faculty Club of Duke University's certificate of incorporation, dated 1933. It also houses a number of revised copies of the club's bylaws, dated between 1933 and 1960.
Consists of correspondence to and from faculty members and officers, as well as to and from individuals affiliated with other universities and organizations. Topics of the letters include meeting times and places, guest speakers, programs, events, club welfare, student-faculty relations, a medical plan, and the need for a suitable clubhouse. The effects of World Wars One and Two on academia and the organization, solicitation of membership, the exclusion of women from the club, and the importance of gaining both usefulness and influence in the community make-up additional subjects.
Consists of recorded minutes of Faculty Club meetings, as well as meeting minutes of the Board of Governors or Directors of the club. Topics of meetings include the appointment of new officers and committees, committee reports, the planning of various events and programs, goals, and event proposals.
Subjects of clippings include student-faculty relations, Faculty Club sponsored parties, club meetings and honors, guest hosts of Faculty club events, origins of Faculty Club, and the movement into the Nello Teer, Jr. house.
Consists of Christmas programs, as well as programs pertaining to other Faculty club sponsored events, such as picnics.
Contains a set of questionnaires, which the Duke Faculty Club sent out to various universities in 1932 inquiring into their faculty club accommodations. Another questionnaire (1927) solicits personal and professional information from potential faculty club members, which current members used as a tool in the decision-making process. Another questionnaire, dated 1961, pertains to faculty interest in a club swimming pool.
Topics of the Board of Governors reports include annual reports of the Board of Governors to the Faculty Club regarding finances and programs of the organization. The committee reports reflect the activities of the following committees: entertainment, athletics, faculty-student relations, furniture, luncheon, finance, house, nomination, and scholarship. Financial reports consist of statements that detail cash receipts, disbursements, income, expense, and balance. The reports of the presidents of the Faculty Club to the Board of Governors highlight the organization's activities and goals. Miscellaneous reports include a plan for medical and hospital care, a report on the sub-committee of ethics, memorials, an address about financing the war effort during World War II, and an address about public higher education in North Carolina.
Contains a preliminary sketch of the formation of the Faculty Club and constitution, some meeting minutes, and financial and membership reports. Early concerns of the club included programming, obtaining a room, and the selection and purchasing of furniture. The Faculty Club initially created the following committees: Entertainment, Membership, Finance and House, Athletic, and Furniture Committee.