Records of Boards/Records of the Academic Board: Journals of the Academic Board, 1845-1985: Finding Aid
Published in May 2023
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6922
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: RG 405.6.2 Entry 204
- National Archives Identifier: 3179980
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Archives
- Title: Records of Boards/Records of the Academic Board: Journals of the Academic Board
- Dates: 1845-1985
- Size: 8 linear feet, 4 inches
- Container Summary: 53 volumes, 2 half-manuscript boxes
- Creator: United States Naval Academy. Academic Board
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: This entry contains journals of the Academic Board that record the minutes of each meeting of the board, and additional correspondence lists, reports, forms, and other records relating to admission, examinations, academic instruction, and other subjects.
History of the Academic Board
The Academic Board dates from the opening of the Naval School in October 1845, when superintendent Franklin Buchanan called the professors to meet as a board to plan the course of instruction and arrange the classes and recitation periods. In addition to the heads of departments, the membership of the board also included the superintendent and the commandant of midshipmen, with the superintendent serving as chairman of the board. Its responsibilities included: prescribing the course of study, choice of textbooks, and subjects studied, subject to the approval of the Navy Department; regulating and preparing reports and papers in connection with the examination of candidates and students; recommending the restoration or further trial of students dismissed or found deficient in studies or conduct; granting certificates of graduation; and authorizing the acceptance of gifts and memorials for the academy.
Description of Contents
This entry contains journals of the Academic Board. In addition to the minutes of each meeting of the board, these volumes contain copied or inserted lists of proposed resolutions; correspondence between the superintendent and the Navy Department, and the board and the superintendent; letters received by the board from faculty, students, and candidates for admission; lists showing the order in which members of the board signed diplomas; reports of results of entrance, annual and semiannual examinations; reports of relative standing; deficiency lists; merit rolls; conduct rolls; various printed programs and forms; instruction schedules; and other reports, charts, and directives relating to the course of study at the academy. The volumes also contain a considerable amount of information relating to donations of memorials and other gifts to the academy.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Access and Use
Access
Restricted - Partly. These records must be screened for personal privacy under 5 U.S.C. 552(b) prior to public release. Per review, select records may be withheld or redacted in accordance with FOIA (b)(6) Personal Information.
Copyright and Permission
Generally, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Any non-government publications held herein may still be subject to copyright. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
Other Finding Aid(s)
National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/3179980.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Custodial History
RG 405 Records of the United States Naval Academy is the property of the National Archives and Records Administration. The materials are housed at the United States Naval Academy, William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, an affiliated archive, as per a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.
Related Materials
Location of Related Materials
Other records relating to the examination of midshipmen may be found in entry 202: “Journals of Proceedings for the Examination of Midshipmen, 1836–1880” (NAID: 3179960); and entry 203: “Register Showing in Detail the Mode of Marking Examinations in Navigation, Languages, Seamanship, Gunnery, and Steam, 1872” (NAID: 3179972).
Other records produced by the academic board may be found in entry 205: “Journal of the Proceedings for the Examination of Candidates to the Academy, 1867” (NAID: 3179983); and entry 205a: “Records of the Academic Board, 1868-1975.”
Materials Cataloged Separately
No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.
Processing and Other Information
Preferred Citation
Records of Boards/Records of the Academic Board: Journals of the Academic Board, 1845-1985, RG 405.6.2 Entry 204
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of the historical note:
Sweetman, Jack. The U.S. Naval Academy: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Samuel Limneos in April 2023. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in May 2023. Historical Sketch and Scope and Content Note adapted in part from Inventory of Records Group 405 by Geraldine N. Phillips and Aloha South, 1975.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Naval Education -- United States
- United States Naval Academy
- United States Naval Academy -- Curricula
- United States Naval Academy -- Examinations
- United States Naval Academy -- Faculty
- United States Naval Academy -- History -- 19th century
- United States Naval Academy -- History -- 20th century
- United States Naval Academy -- Students
- United States Naval Academy. Academic Board
Genre Terms
- Minute Books