Board of Studies

'In the Laws and Regulations section of the first University Calendar, 1852-53, Chapter V was headed 'Professorial Board' and stated 'The Professors and Lecturers shall form a Board, of which the Vice-Provost shall be ex officio a member, for the consideration of all questions relating to the studies of the University' (p 69).

A few years later, both the Vice-Provost and the Provost were ex officio members, the Board being constituted 'for the consideration of all general questions relating to the studies of the University, or which may be referred to them by the Senate' - By-law 20 under the heading 'Professorial Board' (Calendar 1856, p 50).

Changes to the composition of Senate, and title changes from Provost to Chancellor and Vice-Provost to Vice-Chancellor respectively were assented to, 26th April, 1861.

In the 1862 Calendar, p 73, section 5 of By-law X (entitled Boards of Studies) stated 'The Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor, and the Professors of the three several Faculties shall form a Board, to be called the 'Conference Board' for the consideration of all general questions relating to the studies of the University, or which may be referred to them by the Senate'.  By 1876, this section had become by-law 29, and the name of the Board was changed to 'Board of Studies', although the rest of the wording was identical with the earlier by-law (Calendar 1876-77, p 67).

The first entry in G.002/3 Minutes of the Professorial Board, was dated 29th May, 1853, but entries ceased after 1862, when for the entire year 'no business was brought forward', although the Senate Minutes continued to make references to reports from the Board of Studies from 1865 to 1885. (However the Senate Minutes of 5th April 1882 recorded both a recommendation of the Board of Studies and a report of the Professorial Board as obviously separate items on the agenda.)

(Calendar 1887, p 311) '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.'