Professorial Board
University by-law 27 (Calendar 1886, pp 105-6) states:
'The Professors in the Four Faculties, with the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, shall form a Board, to be called 'The Professorial Board' - the duties of which shall be to consider and report to the Senate upon all matters respecting the studies and examinations of the students, and the conferring of Degrees in the several Faculties - the studies, examinations, and degrees, in the Faculty of Medicine excepted - with power to establish Rules, subject to the approval of the Senate, for maintaining order and discipline among the students, and securing their due attendance at Lectures. For the breach of any such Rule, or misconduct of any kind by a student, the Board may inflict such punishment as is sanctioned by Academic usage, including a fine not exceeding Five Pounds, or such other punishment as those Rules shall have prescribed. Provided that no student shall be expelled, or suspended for more than a month, unless the order in that behalf be confirmed by the Senate.'
A second description of the composition of the Professorial Board is provided on page 311 of Calendar 1887 'In the month of May (1886) the Senate adopted amended by-laws to amalgamate the two Boards heretofore termed the Board of Studies and the Proctorial Board, respectively, under the name of the Professorial Board.' The Board met for the first time on the 13th May 1886.
The powers of the Professorial Board were further extended to consider the by-laws and recommend any amendments to the Senate, the mechanism for appeals was established and the exclusion of the Faculty of Medicine dropped, the Chairman of the Board being elected by ballot at the first meeting of the year and holding office for that year (Calendar 1893 p 105). The Chairman's term of office was later increased to three years (Calendar 1902 p 27). With the University's growth and subsequent changes in administrative structure, the Board was extended to include ' the Professors and Associated Professors in the several Faculties, with the Chancellor, the Deputy-Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, and the Registrar' (Calendar 1926 pp 40-41). The Chairman's term of office was subsequently reduced to two years (Calendar 1931 pp 38-39).
By 1939, the Professorial Board consisted of the Professors and Associate Professors in the several Faculties (the Chancellor, and in his default, the Deputy Chancellor, having the right to attend Board meetings, and the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar being ex officio members). The Board was to 'consider and report upon all matters referred to it by the Senate or by the Vice-Chancellor' and was 'specially charged with the duty of furthering and co-ordinating the work of the Faculties and Departments, and of encouraging scholarship and research'. It was also allowed to 'submit recommendations to the Senate with respect to the selection of professors, lecturers and assistant lecturers' (Calendar 1939 pp 121-122). Minor amendments later saw the Board composed simply of 'the Professors in the several Faculties' and also gave it the right to submit recommendations to the Senate 'with respect to any other matter' (Calendar 1952 pp 136-137).
Further amendments (Calendar 1971 p 106) saw the 'Librarian, the Director of the Department of Adult Education and the Dean of any Faculty who is not a Professor' included as members of the Board, and those sections of the by-law relating to disciplinary action repealed.
'On 18th June 1975, in the 125th anniversary of the University, the Professorial Board was replaced by the enlarged Academic Board, a change aimed at opening up the senior academic deliberative body both to the non-professorial level of academic staff and to students' (Report of the University of Sydney for the year ended 31 December 1975 p 8).
Closing membership: 140. Function: Curriculum, examinations, conferring of degrees in all faculties, except that of Medicine, and student discipline, subject to the approval of the Senate.