Fonds F-19 - Department of Physics fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Department of Physics fonds

General material designation

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title of the fonds is based on the name of the body.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

F-19

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1964 - 1991 (Creation)
    Creator
    Department of Physics

Physical description area

Physical description

2 m of textual records

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

(1965 - )

Administrative history

The Department of Physics at S.F.U. was founded in 1964 as a charter department in the Faculty of Science. The Department was responsible, through its Chair, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of Physics. From the outset, the Department has offered programs leading to B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of studies at S.F.U., the Department was involved in co-operative programs within the Faculty of Science, including joint degree programs with Mathematics and Statistics and Chemistry. Since the early 1970s, the Department has been involved in the TRIUMF (Tri-University Meson Facility) project at U.B.C, and it has also been involved in two faculty research bodies: the Theoretical Science Institute and the Energy Research Institute.

The Department was organized administratively into a Chair, Departmental Assistant, Lab Co-ordinator, and a number of standing committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities included the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies, including the Faculty, Senate and Board of Governors. The Chair reported directly to the Dean of Science. The Departmental Assistant was responsible for much of the day-to-day administration and the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students. The Lab Co-ordinator acted as liaison between faculty and graduate students and departmental technicians.

The number and composition of departmental committees varied greatly over time. Long-standing committees included Departmental Tenure, Graduate Admissions, Graduate Studies, High School Liaison, Student Qualifying, and Undergraduate Curriculum. There was also departmental representation on faculty and university committees, including the faculty curriculum committees and the University Radiological Safety and University Review committees. The Department also struck ad hoc committees when required.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds of the Department of Physics consists of records created and received in the course of the administration of the Department and the carrying out of its functions of providing instruction and promoting research. The records consist chiefly of departmental administrative files (1965-1985), minutes of departmental meetings (1965-1973), records relating to research activities of faculty (1965-1985), personnel records (1965-1985), the Physics Summer School (1966-1979), and correspondence of the Chair (1971-1986). The activities documented include policy and procedures development; the planning, initiation and administration of curriculum and programs; departmental and faculty meetings; faculty salary, appointment, promotion and tenure deliberations; departmental reviews; and the publication of journals and reports. The types of documents include correspondence, course outlines and examinations, an external review, faculty case files, memoranda, agenda and minutes of meetings, and reports.

The files were arranged by the Department according to two different file classification systems. This original order has been maintained. Most of the records are arranged according to the first system, which was therefore used to identify series. Series that can be found in both systems were drawn together intellectually by the archivist and described as one series although their physical order has been maintained as received.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

The records were transferred in a number of annual accessions from the Department between 1981 and 1986.

Arrangement

The fonds was arranged and originally described by the archivist in 1992. The arrangement and titles of series by subject were provided by the archivist.

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Some files may contain personal or confidential information. Access to these files may be restricted as required by law. Files marked 'pending review' must be reviewed by an archivist prior to release, and as a result of the review access restrictions may apply. Please see the file lists and consult the archivist for more details.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

File lists are available.

Generated finding aid

Associated materials

Consult the inventory to the Faculty of Science fonds, F-24. Also consult the inventory to the Department of Chemistry fonds, F-6.

Related materials

Accruals

Additional material has been accessioned but not yet processed (as of September 2002: 67 cm., 1968-1991). Please consult the archivist for information about using these materials; restrictions may apply. Further accruals are expected.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Revised

Level of detail

Full

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Finding aid prepared by Bruce Schinkelwitz, Ian Forsyth, Enid Britt, Kadimola Lomamba, Carla Wilson (November 1997); updated by Richard Dancy (March 2000).

Updated by Enid Britt (July 2006).

Language of description

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres