JMU Academic Calendar Planning

Report to the JMU Faculty Senate

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Morgan C. Benton

Goals

• Compliance with federal financial aid guidelines
• Provide additional flexibility for students to facilitate timely graduation
• Generate revenue for JMU
• Give faculty members additional opportunities to:
  • Innovate
  • Generate income 

Stakeholders

• Provost's Office
• Registrar
• Residence Life
• Facilities Management
• Financial Aid
• Business Office
• Faculty (Senate)
• SGA
• Athletics
• Events & Conferences

HIstory/timeline

• Piecemeal changes over the last several years
• Spring 2016: committee formed
• Summer 2016: several alternative plans developed
• Fall 2016: plans evaluated, top candidate selected
• Winter 2016: wider scrutiny of top candidate
• Spring 2017: gather university-wide feedback
• May 2017: committee makes recommendations to senior leadership
• Summer/Fall 2017: develop implementation plan
• Fall 2018: implementation

Guiding Principles

• Inclusive Process
• Meet minimum compliance requirements
• Balance needs of all stakeholder groups

No Final Decisions Have Been Made

Current

• 50/75/150
• 11 MWF timeslots
• 14~15 weeks
• No reading day
• No Labor Day
• No Winter term
• 3 4-week Summer terms
• Friday exams in Spring
• No Sunday exams

Proposed

• 55/80/160
• 10 MWF timeslots
• 14 weeks
• Reading day Fall & Spring
• Labor Day observed
• 3-week Winter term
• 4 3-week Summer terms
• No Fri or Sat exams
• 2 Sunday exam slots
• 7:35AM slot MW, WF, MF

Key Changes

Feedback Plan

• Academic Policies Committee will coordinate and collate the feedback generation process
• Proposed calendar details to Senators by 2/2/17
• Units/Programs will discuss during February with goal of providing feedback to APC by 3/1
• APC will collate and summarize feedback during March
• Collated feedback presented to Senate at 3/30 meeting for discussion (and action?)
• Final senate feedback delivered to Academic Calendar Committee by mid-April

Questions?