Response to Charge S-1509 September 2017

Rutgers University Senate Academic Standards, Regulations, and Admissions Committee Response to Charge S-1509
September 2017

Response to Charge S1509 (PDF download)

S-1509 Default 17-Year Academic Calendar: Review the 17-year default academic calendar drafted by Mary Mickelsen.

Background

One of the legislative powers of the University Senate is to set the University academic calendar. This calendar is followed, with relatively minor variations, by all the schools and colleges of Rutgers-Camden, Rutgers-Newark, and Rutgers-New Brunswick and by three schools in RBHS. It is not followed by either of the medical schools, the dental school, or the School of Health Professions. Issues related to the academic calendar are traditionally considered by the Academic Standards, Regulations, and Admissions Committee (ASRAC).

As part of its responsibility for the academic calendar, the Senate has traditionally prepared a multiyear default University academic calendar. This collection of approved calendars for a number of successive academic years is followed as a default unless the Senate approves changes to a given yearly calendar or calendars before the year(s) in question. Adopting a multiyear default calendar does not restrict the ability of the Senate to revisit any of the future-year calendars at any time.

The most recent default calendar expired several years ago and the Senate was asked to prepare a new one. To start the process, Mary Mickelsen, Administrative Assistant to Senate Executive Secretary Ken Swalagin, prepared a draft 17-year default calendar covering the years 2014-15 through 2030-31. ASRAC was then charged with reviewing the draft calendar, making any needed changes, and presenting the result to the full Senate for approval. 

Discussion and Recommendations

ASRAC has reviewed the draft default academic calendar and made a number of changes so that all the yearly calendars reflect all the changes approved by the Senate in recent years; namely,

1. changes to the fall academic calendar in years when Labor Day falls on September 5 or September 7. [See Response to Charge S-1003, Academic Calendar, Part 2 , Follow-Up to Charge S-1003A on Academic Calendar, Part 2.] These revisions, which involve changes in designations of class days, were made so that classes meeting on Monday only do not have their first class meeting late in the second week of the semester.
2. moving University Commencement (now only the New Brunswick and RBHS Commencement) to the Sunday immediately following the end of spring final exams.[See Response to Charge A-0906B, Commencement Dates ]

In addition to the above changes already approved by the Senate, ASRAC recommends one further change from the previous default academic calendar; namely, a revision of the fall academic calendar in years when Labor Day falls on September 6, which we shall call case 6. When the Senate approved the changes to the fall calendar for years when Labor Day falls on September 5 or September 7 (cases 5 and 7, respectively), no change to the calendar for case-6 years was made because ASRAC failed to agree on the best calendar for those years. ASRAC has now agreed on a recommended calendar for the case-6 years 2021-2022 and 2027-2028. The fall calendar for these years has the following features:

• Classes begin on Wednesday, September 1.
• There are two changes in the designation of class days: Monday classes meet on Wednesday, September 8, and Wednesday classes meet on Monday, November 29.
• There are no classes on the Wednesday (November 24) before Thanksgiving.
• Classes end on Monday, December 13.
• There are two reading days between the end of classes and the beginning of final exams.
• Final exams end on Thursday, December 23.

ASRAC’s recommended default University academic calendar for fall 2014 through spring 2031 is given in the Appendix to this report. 

Resolution

Be it resolved that the Rutgers University Senate approves the default University academic calendar given in the Appendix to this report, with the understanding that adoption of this default calendar does not restrict the ability of the Senate to change any future-year academic calendar at any time.

2016-2017 ASRAC

Appendix: Default University Academic Calendar 2014-15 – 2030-2031

University Academic Calendar – Rutgers University Fall 2014 – Spring 2017

University Academic Calendar – Rutgers University Fall 2017 – Spring 2020

University Academic Calendar – Rutgers University Fall 2020 – Spring 2023

University Academic Calendar – Rutgers University Fall 2023 – Spring 2026

University Academic Calendar – Rutgers University Fall 2026 – Spring 2029

University Academic Calendar – Rutgers University Fall 2029 – Spring 2031