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27 m of textual records (209 boxes)
UA 20
The Royal Commission on University Government in 1909 recommended
the creation of a presidential position to serve as the University's
administrative head. The University Act was amended in 1911 and
the first President, James MacLean, was hired on 1 January 1913.
The act did not, however, provide an adequate definition of the
duties and responsibilities for the President. As a result, MacLean
operated largely on behalf of the University Council and Board of
Governors and dealt primarily with student's concerns.
The position remained unchanged until 1932 when the Royal Commission
on the Impairment of Endowment Funds attributed the lack of presidential
authority as one reason for the disfunction and lack of communication
between the Board of Governors and the University Council. MacLean
resigned in 1934 and was succeeded by Sydney Smith.
Smith assumed power in the aftermath of the "Machray scandal".
His primary concern was to make the new administrative order functional.
He presided over the creation of Senate and acted as an intermediary
between the University's administrative and academic bodies. He
also dealt with the drastic decrease in endowment funds, low faculty
morale and public disgrace. Smith's ten years of service brought
the University out of crisis and into an extended period of growth.
He was succeeded in 1944 by interim President H.P. Armes, who served
until 1945, when Albert Trueman was appointed the University's fourth
President.
Trueman presided for three years and was succeeded by Albert Gillson.
Gillson also had a short term but was responsible for many initiatives,
such as integrating veterans into post secondary education and bringing
St. John's and St. Paul's Colleges onto the Fort Garry site. In
1954 he retired and was succeeded by Hugh Saunderson.
Saunderson presided over an incredible period of growth. Enrolments
increased dramatically and the number of faculty members followed
suit. An ambitious physical development plan was also undertaken
with the aid of federal funding. The Saunderson years also saw the
creation of the first vice-presidential positions to help the President
with academic, administrative, and planning duties. Student activism
during Saunderson's term of office led to student representation
on the Senate and the Board of Governors for the first time.
Saunderson was replaced after sixteen years in office by Ernest
Sirluck in 1970. Through Sirluck's six year presidency, faculty
unionization caused a shift in the power structure of the University
away from Senate to the Faculty Association. A bitter strike by
University support staff clouded the 1975 semester and was followed
by Sirluck's retirement in 1976.
Ralph Campbell was appointed eighth President of the University
in 1976. Throughout his term, Campbell sought to avoid acrimony
between students and the University administration by advocating
an "open door" policy. He created new senior administrative posts
to redistribute duties while assuming responsibility for student's
concerns. The financial boom of the late 1960's and early 1970's
drew to a close by the end of Campbell's term. Physical expansion
in the early 1980's included a new building for Administrative Studies
and Earth Sciences, but the pace slowed considerably.
In 1981 Dr. Campbell was succeeded by Arnold Naimark, former Dean
of the Faculty of Medicine. Naimark, like his predecessor, altered
the administrative framework to govern the institution more effectively.
Throughout his term, Naimark has had to deal with increasing maintenance
costs, falling revenues, rising enrolments, and growing demands
for University services.
The collection (primarily 1940-1967) contains correspondence,
reports, submissions, evaluations, studies and other records dealing
with virtually every aspect of the University of Manitoba. Included
also are historical notes, biographical information on prominent
faculty members, faculty files, as well as records documenting the
University's role in dealing with other universities and with provincial
and national organizations and governments.
Open to all researchers, with restrictions on confidential material
Finding aid available |
