UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #220
FELLMAN, DAVID

FELLMAN, David (1907- )
Professor of Political Science
At UW: 1942-1943; 1947-1979

Interviewed: 1982		
Interviewer: Donna Hartshorne
Length: 3 hours

Background; Pre-UW employment; Coming to UW; Political Science Department in 1940s; Vilas chair; University Committee, 1960-63; Medical School deanship; Appointment as chairman of Committee on Faculty Rules and Regulations; Committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities; Role in American Association of University Professors; Honorary Degree Committee; Other committees; Faculty Assembly and its problems; Concept of Faculty Senate; Faculty reactions; Problems of old system; Issues in Senate proposal; Advantages of Senate; University  Club; Governors Gaylord Nelson and John Reynolds; Speech  writing; Governor's Committee on Human Rights; Committee to reframe Wisconsin constitution; Integrated bar; Political Science Department; Graduate students; Ph.D. requirements; Area studies; Interdisciplinary studies; Student protest movement; Golden years, 1948-60; Abolition of boxing; TAA; Current activities.

First Interview Session (April 20, 1982): Tapes 1 & 2
Tape 1/Side 1    

00:00:01	Family background.  Russian Hasidic Jews.  Left Russia 1905.  Settled in Omaha.  

00:04:19	Culture shock of parents upon arrival in U.S.   

00:05:42   	Educational background: Omaha Central High School, University of Nebraska, teaching at Hebrew school as a form of support.   

00:11:33  	Political Science major at University of Nebraska; intention to become a lawyer; changed mind after one year of law school.  Father's reaction.   

00:13:15  	B.A. 1929, Phi Beta Kappa.  M.A. work at University of Nebraska, publication of M.A. thesis.  Receipt of M.A., 1930. Yale for Ph.D.  Short teaching stint at University of Nebraska as fill-in.

00:15:21  	Financial support at Yale.  Marriage.   

00:17:57  	Beginning of job search, 1934.  Depression.  Teaching again at University of Nebraska.  Stayed seven years before able to afford children or car.   

00:20:11   	Total 13 years in Lincoln, 8-9 years before Assistant Professor.  Tenure.     

00:20:59  	To UW as a fill-in--much of faculty off at war; still formally at University of Nebraska.   

00:22:59  	Offer of permanent job at UW 1947.  Help from William Stokes in getting job.   

00:24:17   	Stokes also in Political Science, also an assistant dean.   

00:25:23   	Opinion of University of Nebraska.   

00:26:02   	University of Nebraska--UW "pipeline."  David Cronon, Gilbert Doane, Robert Reynolds, John Hicks--University of Nebraska as a rung on career ladders.   

00:27:04	Opinion of UW Political Science faculty upon his arrival; its composition.   

00:28:37   	National standing of department.  Faculty hiring activity.  Graduate school and training quality at UW Political Science department.   

00:29:54   	"G.I. University," just after VE Day; DF's experience in it.

00:30:49	End of side.    

Tape 1/Side 2

00:30:51   	DF's experiences at G.I. University in Florence, Italy continued.    

00:35:57   	Opinion of early years teaching at UW.  More on G.I. University. 

00:36:28   	Vilas Chair for DF--held it for 15 years.  Meant a smaller teaching load and better salary.  It also aided research activities and publication.

00:38:20   	Reasons for large publications list.
  
00:39:20   	Election to University Committee, 1960, three year term.  Chair of Committee in third year.  
  
00:41:40   	Early '60's controversy over Medical School dean malfeasance, Surgery Department.    

00:42:40   	As Chair of University Committee, main faculty representative to administration.  
  
00:43:28   	1963 letter to Harrington requesting setting up of a committee to examine faculty rules and regulations, need for codification.  Appointment of DF by Harrington to chair such a committee.  Staff support from Donald F. Percy, Abner Brodie. Vernon Carstensen.

00:46:25   	Rules and Regulations Committee active 1964-70.  Focus on academic tenure, academic freedom, faculty dismissal procedures.  

00:47:07	Report sent to Regents.  Developed a set of model rules, used all over US.  Letter of commendation to DF from Regents.

00:47:40   	Rules and Regulations reworked in mid-'70s.  Creation of committee on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities to cover rules on faculty appeals, re tenure and dismissals.  DF elected chair of this committee twice, total of six years.    

00:49:16   	Later, this committee was made hearing body for dismissals, powers extended further. This committee not too busy during the years of DF's chairmanship.    

00:50:45  	Notion of due process, "justice" in faculty personnel actions.  Institutional role of faculty opinion in University governance.    

00:52:34   	DF's activities in American Association of University Professors (AAUP).  Role of peer review at UW for faculty.    

00:54:59  	Activities of DF on Honorary Degrees Committee: 1966-79, Chair 1971-79.    

00:56:51  	Method of determination of honorary degree recipients.

00:59:52   	1964 DF became chair of Committee on Nominations (for nomination of members to faculty committees).  Very influential.  

01:01:15   	Experiment during Harrington's presidency of a Faculty Assembly, covering all faculty in UW system.  Problems of previous methods of faculty governance on system level.  

01:01:59	End of side.  End of tape.       

Tape 2/Side 1      

01:02:00   	Problems of older structures of faculty governance, need for faculty input at system level.    

01:02:22   	Problems of Faculty Assembly structure.  Lack of system-wide faculty governance structure since demise of Faculty Assembly.   

01:04:25   	Need for new governance structure led DF to develop concept of Faculty Senate, a representative body.  DF wrote "statute" for Faculty Senate.  Further problems of governance structures.    

01:05:00   	Past attendance problems regarding faculty meetings.     Problem of "packing" meetings under old structure.  Anecdotes on this.    

01:08:42   	Issues on which DF "lost" with his Faculty Senate proposal: 1) deans as ex-officio members of Senate; 2) size of Senate; 3) determination of quorum.  Discussion of these issues.

01:14:34   	Reflections on success of the senate and reintegration of Medical and Engineering Schools into faculty governance structures.  Senate structure.  Assurance of cross-section of opinion by method of faculty Senate; avoidance of "screwball" decisions assured this way.    

01:17:10   	DF's other committee assignments: School of Education Executive Committee, Letters and Sciences Honors Committee, Meiklejohn Lecture Committee.    

01:18:14   	DF as Chair of Phi Beta Kappa Committee for one year, several years as Chair of UW AAUP chapter.  President of University Faculty Club, Roundtable Luncheon Club.    

01:18:52   	DF on Faculty Senate four years.  Introduced question procedure at opening of Faculty Senate meetings.    

01:21:09   	DF's activities on university lecture circuit nationwide, lists lecture series and his publications resulting from them.   

01:23:36	Activities within American Political Science Association (APSA): governing Council vice-presidency, Board of Editors of American Political Science Review (APSR).  Activities in Midwestern Association of Political Science, DF as its President, 1955-56.  Founding editor of Midwest Journal of Political Science, 1957 (now, American Journal of Political Science).  Other professional activities.    

01:28:04	DF's service on many American Political Science committees.  Chair of Ethics Committee for 5-6 years.    

01:30:25   	DF's major activity was in AAUP.  Nominated to AAUP Council, its governing body; Chair of AAUP's Committee A, its most powerful committee.  Chair for five years.  

01:32:50	End of side. 

Tape 2/Side 2      

01:32:52  	Details of AAUP review procedures.  AAUP's current activities in faculty unionism.

01:34:29   	DF's major academic grants/awards, 1961-62, a Fulbright Senior Fellow, worked in Great Britain, at London School of Economics; 57-58 research award from the Fund for the Republic;  1959-60 research award from the Social Science Research Council.  DF never an active grant-seeker.    

01:36:44	End of interview session.

Second Interview Session (April 23, 1982): Tapes 2 & 3
Continuation of Tape 2
00:00:01  	DF as Chair of APSA Ethics Committee for 6 years. Summarizes Ethics Committee activities.    

00:02:43  	Role of AAUP at UW-Madison.  Anecdotes on AAUP in Madison.  

00:06:38	General question of the future of faculty tenure.  Problem of growing budget crunch.  Tenure a necessity for academic freedom.  Discussion of tenure.    

00:11:09   	DF's activities in University Club, DF as President of University Club.    

00:12:53   	More on University Club.    

00:14:54	DF's work with state government.  Very active, 1960-66, under Governors Gaylord Nelson and John Reynolds.  Personal friendships with both governors.    

00:16:03   	Speech-writing activities for governors.    

00:16:58   	1959--DF appointed to Governor's Commission on Human Rights; stayed on it nine years (resigned in 1968).  Resigned due to lack of participation of Blacks on Commission.    

00:18:46   	Rebecca Barton as head of Governor's Commission.  DF's views on her, and on activities of Commission.    

00:19:40   	Creation by Nelson in 1960 of a commission to reframe Wisconsin Constitution; DF named to this commission, along with Willard Hurst, Walter Hollander, and others.  15-20 members. Recommendations of that commission; example change of governor's term from two to four years.  

00:21:24   	1964 Governor Reynolds set up a second such commission, expanded on work of first.  Question in second commission of need for a Constitutional Convention, DF and Legislature were opposed.  Fear of a convention getting out of control, thus, a preference for step-by-step changes.    

00:22:32	Changes in Wisconsin Constitution helped to modernize it.   

00:23:22	DF appointed to Commission on Statutory Review, 1978-79; Legislative Council was parent organization.  Midge Miller chaired.  Removed Latin phrases and sexist language.     

00:25:48   	DF as advisor to Wisconsin Supreme Court.  Cameras in courtroom debate.

00:26:13	End of side.  End of tape.
     
Tape 3/Side 1      

00:26:15   	More on cameras in courtrooms; DF's views on issue then and now.  Other opinions on this issue.    

00:32:56  	DF's work on question of integrated bar; question of admission to bar and membership in it to practice law in Wisconsin.  

00:34:03	DF's Work on Wisconsin Bar Association's study group covering integrated bar; pros and cons of issue.    

00:38:49   	Consultative activity on reorganization of Wisconsin Court system; creation of appeals court system and consolidation of county and circuit courts.    

00:42:24   	Activities in Political Science Department.  DF not terribly active, never a department chair.  Growth in size of political science department; DF's activities in faculty hiring within department.    

00:44:22   	Faculty academic freedom within political science department; place of graduate students in department.  More on graduate students.    

00:45:33   	Academic requirements for graduate students--languages, etc.  

00:47:43  	Graduate student placements.

00:49:02   	Major preoccupations of political science department faculty.  

00:50:19	Role of political science department as an entree into law schools; its effects on faculty hiring and class sizes.  
  
00:51:29   	Discussion of expansion of area studies specialties since WWII.    

00:52:41   	Questions of interdisciplinary approach, political psychology, and empirical methods within political science.    

00:54:35   	Discussion of specializations between fields; defining "discipline of political science."       

00:56:54	End of side. 

Tape 3/Side 2      

00:56:56   	Effects of 1960's movement on political science field.  Personal effects on DF (very negative).    

00:59:34   	Discussion of 1970 TAA strike--DF opposed.    

01:01:37   	Problems of '60's movement.    

01:02:57   	DF's view of best years at UW: just after WWII--good students, growing budgets.  "Golden years"--1948-60.    

01:04:08   	DF's role in abolishing boxing as an intercollegiate sport at UW; background.    

01:12:47   	DF's views on the growth of welfarism in American social system--sees it as a rather inevitable historical process.  Damage to it by Reagan administration can probably be minimized.

01:14:25   	DF pleased with his activities as a campus-to-campus lecturer.  Reminiscences.  By such lecture activity can make comparisons among different universities and colleges.   

01:16:21   	TAA's current legal position: TA unionism not recognized by Wisconsin statutes; done voluntarily by Edwin Young.  A political, not a legal problem.   

01:18:36   	DF's current activities.  Now retired.  Still active professionally, goes to office almost every day, lunching with colleagues.  Catching up on back reading.    

01:23:58	End of side.  End of tape.

END