New York State Education Department Commissioner's Files on Regents Meetings

Chronological by date of meeting (within each box, folders are in reverse chronological order).

The office of Commissioner of Education was created in 1904 by the so-called Unification Act (Chapter 40) which established the State Education Department and replaced the Superintendent of Public Instruction and Secretary to the Board of Regents with the Commissioner.

Since 1913 the Commissioner has also carried the title of President of the University of the State of New York, conferred by the Regents. A 1938 constitutional amendment clarified the relative roles of the commissioner and the Regents, placing the Regents at the head of the Department and naming the Commissioner as the Department's chief administrative officer who serves at the Regents' pleasure.

At its regularly scheduled meetings the Board of Regents considers and votes on all matters of educational policy and administration brought before them. The frequency and order of business at Regents meetings as well as the Regents' committee structure are specified in the Rules of the Board of Regents. Since 1905 the Commissioner has been required by the Rules to attend meetings of the Board of Regents and submit matters for their consideration.

This series consists of folders compiled by the office of Commissioner Ewald B. Nyquist for each monthly meeting of the Board of Regents and for occasional other meetings such as Regents Legislative Hearings.

Each file contains records relating to the planning and conduct of the meeting and generally includes the following: correspondence and memoranda regarding attendees and content of the meeting; the Monthly Report of the Commissioner to the Board of Regents; a summary of action taken by the Regents at the meeting; memoranda about possible questions at a post-meeting news conference; memoranda from the Commissioner to the Regents relating to subjects on the meeting agenda (including Regents committee meetings); summary of the proceedings of the meeting; press releases relating to action by the Regents; copies of reports and briefing papers submitted to the Regents; reports of Regents committees; drafts of proposed Regents publications for review; and occasional clippings.

W0105Series W0105, State Education Department Commissioner Ewald B. Nyquist Subject Files, contains related records.

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