Enrollment Management Electronic Newsletter

Changes to the Academic Calendar, Fall 2009!

The inclusion of a two-day fall break in October has long been a goal for the Academic Calendar, and we will see it in place this fall 2009. The break falls on Monday-Tuesday, October 12 and 13, 2009. This change was approved by the Calendar Committee on August 26, 2008, and endorsed by the Faculty Senate on September 15, 2008.

In addition to giving faculty and students a well-timed breather in their work, it has some further calendar implications for the timing of midterm and final exams and grading deadlines:

Midterm exam week shifts from a Monday-to-Friday pattern to a Thursday-to-Wednesday pattern (Thursday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 7). This has the additional benefit of providing a weekend study period (for faculty: grading period) halfway through!

The midterm exam grade deadline shifts from the familiar 9 a.m. Monday following exam week, to 9 a.m. Friday following the final day of exams (9 a.m. Friday, October 9). This is necessary so that while the fall break is underway, our office can continue to process grades and have them available to students and advisors upon your return.

Final exam week similarly shifts from a Monday-to-Friday pattern to a Thursday-to-Wednesday pattern (Thursday, December 10 to Wednesday, December 16). The shift allows us to recoup the Monday-Tuesday lost to the fall break, and again breaks up exam week with a weekend study/grading period that will be beneficial to students and faculty alike.

The final exam grade deadline similarly shifts from 9 a.m. Monday following exam week, to 9 a.m. Friday following the final day of exams (9 a.m. Friday, December 18). This is necessary to accommodate the many processes that have to happen in our office for calculating GPAs and academic standing, certifying and awarding December graduates, and releasing official transcripts prior to the holiday break.

The fall 2009 calendar is online at http://www.shepherd.edu/register/pdf/Fall%202009%20Text.pdf.

http://www.shepherd.edu/register/