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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REVISIONS TO THE CORNELL ACADEMIC CALENDAR

A committee composed of faculty, staff, and students (CALENDAR COMMITTEE) was formed during the fall semester of 2010 to explore the possibility and desirability of revising the academic calendar. Among several reasons for forming the committee, one was to explore whether revisions to the calendar could help to alleviate student stress that may have contributed to the cluster of suicides in the spring of 2010.

The committee has now produced a set of recommendations (CALENDAR) that is being submitted to the Faculty Senate as a resolution (RESOLUTION) for a vote at its May 2012 meeting. A rationale for key changes (NARRATIVE) is also provided, along with a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and a comparison of the recommendations with the current CU calendar (COMPARISON).

Key features of the recommendations include:

• Addition of a new 2-day student break in February, comprising Presidents Day (Monday) and the next day. This coincides with a federal holiday and local school break. This holiday is designed both to provide a “mental health break” for students and to divide the semester into thirds rather than in half, shortening the periods between breaks.
• The proposed Spring calendar will always start on the Wednesday following the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day federal and local school system holiday. In some years in the existing calendar, classes start on MLK Day.
• Reorganization of the study/exam period (both Fall and Spring Semesters). Study days before exams would be reduced from 4 2/3 days to 4 days. The exam period would be reduced from 9 1/3 days to 9 days, with a day off in the middle of the exam schedule.
• Elimination of classes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (classes currently end at 1:10 p.m. Wednesday).
• Bringing Fall and Spring semesters into closer balance: 68 days (vs. current 67.5) in the Fall; 69 days (vs. 70) in the Spring.
• Creation of two partial weeks of instruction in the Spring. This is a negative outcome, forced by the addition of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday in the first week of classes and the Presidents Day Monday-Tuesday holiday. We note that this schedule now mirrors the Fall (Labor Day plus Fall Break). We also note that beginning the semester earlier, as some suggested, would create a similar partial-week issue.
• Reduction of Senior Week to 2-5 days (depending on how days are counted) from approximately 7 days. Spring exams would end on the Tuesday before Commencement, but few if any seniors would have exams on that day. Many undergraduate students are concerned about this; reactions among other constituencies, including graduate students, differ dramatically.

If the calendar passes, it will go to the President and Provost for approval. Implementation is not part of the charge of the Calendar Committee; some recommendations could be implemented very soon, whereas others would likely take longer to phase in.

Committee Process and History

The committee has met regularly since fall, 2010. In the spring of 2011, the committee circulated a document, “Objectives & Principles Guiding the Reexamination of the Academic Calendar” and requested input from the community. Members of the committee met with various constituencies to answer questions concerning the document.

During the fall of 2011, the committee produced recommendations for the fall academic calendar, and in November presented these to the Senior Staff and also asked for input concerning the timing of Commencement, a key issue for formulating the spring academic calendar.

In early February, 2012, the committee presented recommendations for both spring and fall academic calendars to the Senior Staff, and, following their approval, presented those recommendations to members of the various assemblies gathered for their monthly breakfast meeting. Members of the committee met with the Student Assembly, Employee Assembly, Graduate & Professional Student Assembly, University Assembly, and other interested groups to answer questions about the calendar and receive feedback. Input was requested to be sent to the Calendar Committee (calendarcommittee@cornell.edu) by March 28, 2011.

Based on suggestions from this phase of community involvement, the calendar recommendations were revised substantially and the revised version was described to the Faculty Senate at its April 10, 2012 meeting. On April 20, 2012, the Calendar Committee voted to submit this version of the recommendations to the Faculty Senate for a vote at its May 9, 2012 meeting. On April 26, the Student Assembly passed a resolution demanding modifications to the study/exam period; based on recommendations in that resolution, the proposal was further modified to include a study day in the middle of the exam period, which also lengthened the semester one day in both the Fall and Spring. That version of the calendar proposal is being submitted to the Faculty Senate for a vote.

The FAQ and summary of recommendations are being sent to every faculty member prior to the Faculty Senate vote.

• PROPOSED CALENDAR
• ACADEMIC CALENDAR RESOLUTION