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Academic Calendar Review Committee Report
Fall 2012
According to UW System Academic Planning Statement (ACPS) No.4:
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The activities of a faculty member are not organized in terms of a specified number of hours and days in specified locations.
The regular academic year covers a full nine-month period and shall consist of not fewer than 39 contiguous weeks
The contractual academic year shall consist of not fewer than 34 weeks of organized services for students
The Chancellor, in consultation with faculty, should determine the primary divisions of the academic year calendar
The calendar may be organized in two semesters, three quarters, or modules of semesters or quarters and shorter term (mini-sessions,
inter-sessions, etc.)
Academic year appointments should ordinarily begin no earlier than one week before the first day of scheduled campus registration for
the fall term and should end no later than one week after the date of spring commencement when commencement follows the last day
of scheduled instruction
Faculty may receive additional payment for mini-sessions scheduled during the academic year when the addition of a mini-session
results in a teaching load that exceeds the institution’s regularly expected teaching load for fall and spring semesters
By state statute we are not allowed to start classes until after September 1 each year.
The three attached calendars are proposals for discussion. All adhere to the above regulations. All indicate dates for 6 years.
Calendar I: Follows the perpetual calendar designed by faculty member John Davis and adopted in 2001 - includes
 two 17-week semesters, based on the concept of equal length semesters
 includes provision for a full welcome/registration week each semester
 originally made no specific provision for summer college –
 The following were added to the original 01 plans because they are existing on our campus now:
o December commencement
o Four-week J-term
o 11 week summer college dates
Calendars II & III:
 remove a specifically designated final exam week
 move the start of fall classes to Wednesday following Labor Day
 provides for a 3-day Thanksgiving Break
 contain shorter terms within a semester
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provide a week between submission of grades and start of next academic semester/summer college to allow processing of student
status prior to start of classes
Calendar II: Follows the basic model we have had for the past several years with only a few changes
 Consists of two semesters (fall 20 weeks and spring 16 weeks)
o The suggested fall semester includes a 16-week session with a full week break at Thanksgiving and a 4-week mini-session ( Jterm)
 The suggested spring semester includes a 16-week session with a full week spring break
 The remaining 3 weeks of contract include a week before start of classes in the fall, a week between fall and spring semesters and a
week following spring semester.
 contain the summer college schedule as outlined through discussions this fall but allowing the week for processing student status
Calendar III:
 Is modeled after the Academic Calendar of UW Oshkosh
 Consists of two semesters each of which is broken into two terms
o Fall semester includes 19 calendar weeks with Mon and Tues missing the first week and Wed-Fri missing for T’giving –
resulting in 18 weeks of teaching days
 The 18 weeks are divided into 2 terms: 14-week fall and 4-week J-term
o Spring semester includes 18 calendar weeks with one week eliminated for spring break – resulting in 17 weeks of teaching
days
 The 17 weeks are divided into 2 terms: 14-week spring and 3-week MayMester
 Welcome Week becomes 1 day of Advising/Registration each semester
 Contract year remains 39 weeks
o 19 weeks fall semester
o 18 weeks spring semester
o 2 weeks of break – one after fall semester and one after spring semester
 Summer College starts later and consists of 2 four week sessions
Discussion Points
 Some universities have done away with a formal week of final exams with reasoning that they are not universally used in the ‘sit in
class for 2 hours’ format – providing an inclusive semester allows faculty to conduct assessments/exams in a wider variety of ways
 Starting classes the day immediately following Labor Day disadvantages students who are bound by leases that start Sept 1st ; they
are unable to conduct university business prior to the Tuesday following Labor day.
 Thanksgiving Holiday issues were one driving force for this calendar review. Two new options are presented:
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A full week Thanksgiving break aligns with the week-long spring break – evening out the semesters (Calendar II)
a 3-day Thanksgiving break (giving 2 teaching days that week) “evens out” the weeks when combined with the loss of two
days the first week of classes (Calendar III)
Having two sessions within a semester allows students to use their financial aid across a variety of terms within a semester (e.g. Jterm or MayMester) to assist with costs – especially helpful for students engaging in overseas trips..
Having two sessions within a semester allows faculty to spread their 4 class workload requirement differently across the terms and
perhaps makes room for more research both for themselves and/or with students. For example
o a faculty member could teach 4 classes in the 14/15 week fall term and use J-term for personal scholarship and/or
independent research with a student
o a faculty member could teach 3 classes in the 14/15 week spring term and 1 in MayMester, leaving a lighter load during the
longer term, allowing time for research
o etc….
Consider ‘naming’ Spring Break as some kind of “interim” term since faculty/staff are expected to work those days and there is the
possibility of teaching a credit-bearing course that week with the advantages to students and faculty as listed above