IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0100 KCLCA KAS/GC
Held at: King's College London College Archives
Title: King's College London Secretary's Governance papers
Date(s): 1828-1992 (ongoing)
Level of description: sub-fonds
Extent: 613 files
Name of creator(s): King's College London | College Secretary's Department
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Between 1831 and 1988 the College Secretary rose from Secretary to the Principal and Council to senior administrative officer of the College. Throughout the period the College Secretary had responsibility for servicing the Council, its main standing and special subcommittees, and the Academic Board. In the 1960s, the post of Academic Registrar was reorganised to reflect the coordinated responsibility for student admission and examinations with the Department. From 1828-1909 the Council was the College's governing and executive body, exercising the powers of the College as provided in the Charter or Statutes. The King's College London (Transfer) Act 1908 incorporated the college into the University of London, and the Delegacy became the governing body of King's College. The Council thereafter governed the Theological Department only, which was separately administered from the rest of the College. The Delegacy was a committee of the Senate of the University of London, which had to ratify all major decisions. By the Royal Charter of 1980, King's College London was reconstituted, merging the Theological Department with the Faculty of Theology and the Council again became the governing body for the whole College. Between 1909-1980 the Court, as the financial board of the University of London, controlled the finances of the College through the custody, control and disposition of all property, funds and investments. The Academic Board advises the Council on all academic matters. The Professorial Board became known as the Academic Board in 1980.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
The records comprise five series covering the period 1828-1992: records of the College's governing bodies, records relating to College constitution, policy and structure, relationship with the University of London, external bodies and the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals. These include minutes, papers and correspondence, 1890-1983, of the following: the Court, 1906-1938, 1966-1979; College Council and its committees, 1890-1983; Delegacy, 1909-1989, including the new site at Bloomsbury, 1921-1926; building works estimates, 1963-1977; the international interchange of students, 1909-1918; research into Radio Telegraphy, 1924-1941; Delegacy membership 1960-1980; Professorial Board minutes and papers, 1936-1939, 1958-1979; Academic Board minutes and papers, 1980-1983; Academic Board correspondence, 1917-1983 notably relating to appointments and alternative BSc examinations, 1929-1939; Theological Professorial Board minutes, 1920, agendas and papers, 1932-1938, 1967-72; Committee of Deans minutes and papers, 1921, 1956-1982; Heads of Departments' meetings with the Principal, 1976-1983; Joint Committee of the Council and Delegacy minutes and papers, 1972-1973; various development committees, 1976-1983, 1991-1992 (KAS/GC1).
Provisional Committee of King's College London original resolution, report and petition for establishment, 1828-1833; draft charter (not granted), 1855-1863; papers and correspondence relating to the proposed 'University for London', 1844-1892, including draft charter for 'Albert University', 1891; University of London Act (1895) and Commission with related papers and correspondence, 1889-1901; King's College London Act (1903) with related correspondence, 1902-1903; papers relating to the incorporation of the College into the University of London, 1904-1913; papers relating to the development and rebuilding of King's College London, 1910-1919; papers relating to the Royal Commission on University Education in London, 1909-1915; University of London and King's College Committees minutes, correspondence and reports on the proposed Bloomsbury site, 1920-1924; papers relating to the Statutory Commission concerning the revision of University statutes, 1925-1928; papers relating to the merger of King's College London and the Arts and Sciences Departments of King's College for Women, 1928; papers and correspondence relating to the possible disincorporation of King's College London, 1964-1965; student participation in College government, 1969-1974; minutes of Joint and Steering Committees of the Council and Delegacy on the Murray Report, 1972-1979; Committees concerning the drafting of College regulations required under the new Charter and Statutes, 1977-1980; Committee structure of the College, 1978-1988; new faculty of Theology on reunification with the College, 1976-1977; the Flowers Report concerning medical education in London, 1979-1981; scheme for the integration of St Thomas' Medical School, Westminster Medical School and the Biological and Medical Departments of King's College London to form a School of Biology and Medicine, 1969-1972; proposed amalgamation of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies with King's College London, 1971-1976; reunification of King's College London and King's College Hospital Medical School, 1981-1983; merger of King's College London and Bedford College, 1981-1982; merger of King's, Queen Elizabeth and Chelsea Colleges, 1983-1985; Assistant Secretary's general correspondence and papers, 1982-1985; the development of the sites of King's, Queen Elizabeth and Chelsea Colleges, 1982-1983, and the College's Development Plan, 1985 (KAS/GC2). Correspondence with the University of London, 1901-1954, 1966-1988; correspondence and notices of Senate proceedings and resolutions, 1910-1918, 1934-1942; reports of the Delegacy to the Senate, 1911-1918, 1934-1914, and to the Court, 1929-1946; membership of the Delegacy and College representation on University of London boards and committees, 1939-1960; membership of Senate Committees and electoral procedures, 1978-1983; King's College London's submissions to the Robbins and Murray Committees, 1961-1972; reports and correspondence relating to the University of London Act 1978, 1974-1978; response to new statutes, 1976-1983; correspondence and papers relating to student discipline, 1968-1979; response to the University of London Committee on Academic Organisation, 1980-1982; registration of teachers, appointment of staff and conferment of titles, 1890-1918; registration of students, 1909-1921; University of London inspections on King's College London teaching and equipment; 1909-1910, 1932-1939, 1949-1950 (KAS/GC3). Papers and correspondence relating to the allocation, application and appeals for Treasury and Board of Education grants, 1889-1918; Treasury Commissioner Inspections, 1889-1904; returns to the Board of Education and University Grants Committee for the annual report to Parliament, 1897-1921; response to the Board of Education's proposals to revise secondary school examinations, 1913-1918; correspondence, minutes and papers relating to University Grants Committee visits and meetings, 1921-1934, 1950-1983; University Grants Committee accounts of air-raid damage repairs, 1938-1945; papers relating to Quinquennium reports, 1947-1961, 1966-1980; circulars from Science Research Councils, 1976-1981; correspondence with London County Council and reports notably relating to grants, scholarships, bursaries, appointments and teachers' classes, 1894-1927 (KAS/GC4). Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals' general correspondence, circulars and reports relating to the National Union of Students, College societies, tuition fees, data protection, finance and higher education, 1954-1982 (KAS/GC5).
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Files are arranged in five series as outlined in scope and content, and arranged chronologically within each series.
Conditions governing access:
Subject to a thirty-year closure period.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be provided for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services, King's College London.
Physical characteristics:
Finding aids:
Detailed catalogues are available in hard copy in the reading room of the College Archives.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:
Accruals:
Archival history:
Records within these series reflect the individual responsibilities of a number of officers within the departments. Where duplicate series exist, those retained are the master set of records for a particular function. Where responsibility has been split more than one sub-series of files may have been retained.
Immediate source of acquisition:
College Secretary's Department.
ALLIED MATERIALS
Existence and location of originals:
Existence and location of copies:
Related material:
King's College London Archives holds College Secretary's files relating to academic departments and academic initiatives, 1896-1900 (KAS/AC), and the general administration of staffing, finance and the College estate, 1828-1990 (KAS/AD); Principal's and Secretary's in-correspondence and out-letter books, 1828-1917 (KA/IC and KA/OLB); Council minutes, 1828-1996 (KA/C/M), Delegacy minutes, 1910-1980 (KA/D/M); Professorial Board Minute Books, 1868-1980 (KA/PB/M), Library files relating to policy, 1871-1988 (KAL/GC).
Publication note:
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Note:
Date(s) of descriptions: March 2000