Many colleges and universities have a faculty club. Often it’s a building on campus that operates
somewhat like a clubhouse, with a dining room for the faculty and their guests,
lounges, sitting areas, and other amenities.
Wofford hasn’t ever had a faculty house or club like that,
but for a number of years, the faculty did have a small organization that they
called the Faculty Club. Organized in
1944, just as the faculty was beginning to grow beyond its historic small size,
the club was organized in response to a feeling that the intellectual,
professional, and social life of the faculty might be enhanced through such an
organization. The group met monthly,
generally at members’ homes, and discussed papers that faculty members would
prepare, held roundtable discussions on current educational topics, and
occasionally held book discussions. The
club had a social side as well, with “stag dinners” on two occasions each year,
and the members of the Faculty and Campus Clubs (the organization for the wives
of the faculty and some of the women staff members) held two annual events – a
Christmas dinner and a spring picnic.
I should note that the membership of the faculty club was
not limited to men, nor was it limited to just the faculty. Staff members were invited to participate, although
the staff in the 1940s would have included little more than the treasurer, a
librarian, the registrar, and perhaps a few other posts. Women who were on the staff – the librarian
and registrar in the mid-1940s – were able to participate if they chose.
In some years, the Faculty Club talked about pressing issues
at Wofford. In the 1951-52 school year,
they discussed topics surrounding the theme “A Workable Philosophy” with the
idea “may we look at ourselves and others that our work, our college, and our
students may prosper.” During the year,
they discussed the college’s curriculum and philosophy. In the 1952-53 year, the club considered the
question, “What is a Christian college?” In the fall meetings, the group
discussed organized Christian life and extracurricular activities. In the spring, they discussed Christianity
and the curriculum, teaching methods, academic freedom, and the college’s
responsibility to the church. In later
years, members discussed current events, new programs or facilities at the
college, or heard talks by their colleagues.
The faculty club records in the archives seem to end around
1978, though the Campus Club continued to meet into the 1990s. The Faculty Club and Campus Club records are in the archives.