Faculty Committee Meeting Notes

These handwritten notes were taken during a Faculty Committee meeting held on May 3, 1969. A large segment of the meeting was devoted to handling issues with Queens College's SEEK program. Short for "Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge," SEEK was established in 1966 as a CUNY-wide program to assist disadvantaged students who might otherwise lack the opportunity to study at a four-year college. At Queens, much debate surrounded the program by 1969 as many black students in the program argued for greater autonomy and demanded significant changes to the program structure including student control of faculty hiring. At one point, students smashed windows and overturned card catalogues. Their actions, which contributed to the temporary closure of the college, made the front page of the New York Times on May 3 including a large photograph above the centerfold.Occuring simultaneously with the SEEK protests were additional unrelated efforts taken by the Ad Hoc Committee that saw the student occupation of administrative buildings and offices. In choosing to close the school for the second time in 1969, President Joseph P. McMurray declared, "No meaningful educational program can go on in this kind of atmosphere." Queens joined City College and Brooklyn College in temporarily shutting down because of student unrest. By May 3, of the four major CUNY schools, only Hunter remained open.

Faculty Committee

May 3, 1969

English

Queens College Department of Special Collections and Archives (New York, N.Y.)

Obtained from Contributor - Copyright Unknown

Notes / Minutes