Academic calendar unveiled for 2009-10

Academic calendar unveiled for 2009-10May 06, 2008Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s Academic Calendar Committee has released the 2009-10 academic calendar. The calendar is very similar to past University schedules and includes no major changes. However, in the Fall 2009 semester, two religious holidays — Eid Ul-Fitr (Sept. 21) and Yom Kippur (Sept. 28) — fall on two consecutive Mondays in September, requiring adjustments at the end of the semester.

Fall classes will end a day later (on Monday, Dec. 14, instead of the previous Friday); one-half of a reading day will be eliminated (the morning of Dec. 15 will be a reading period, with examinations scheduled that afternoon); and the last final examinations will fall on a Monday (Dec. 21) instead of the previous Friday.

The schedules for spring and summer 2010 are unchanged from previous calendars.

The full 2009-10 academic calendar is available online at http://registrar.syr.edu/acadcalendars/index.html#acad_calendars .

Traditionally, the Academic Calendar Committee plots a five-year calendar, developed every five years, for the institution. But according to University Registrar Maureen Breed, chair of the committee, this type of template no longer meets the University’s needs. “Our enterprise computing systems are calendar-dependent, with key dates required for our system-supported business processes,” she says. “And, increasingly, campus offices need to know future dates for a variety of planning purposes.” A rolling five-year calendar is planned, with dates for 2010-11 and beyond yet to be developed.

The 11-person committee began plotting the 2009-10 calendar last October. Working from a series of guiding principles, the committee pondered potential changes such as starting fall classes after Labor Day, extending Thanksgiving break to a week, lengthening the semester break and eliminating observance of certain religious holidays as days without classes. (Additional exploration of these options will be conducted in the coming year.)

The committee consulted with various University bodies, including the Chancellor’s Cabinet, the Dean’s Council and the Academic Coordinating Committee. A draft plan was posted online and feedback sought from the University community. After assessing input, the committee developed its recommendations and submitted its final report to Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric F. Spina, who reviewed and approved the final calendar, with the concurrence of Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor.

Members of the Academic Calendar Committee are:

• Maureen Breed, University registrar (chair)
• Robert Edson, senior associate director of athletics
• Wayne Franits, professor and chair of the Department of Fine Arts
• Sandra Hurd, associate provost and professor of law and public policy
• Ian MacInnes, associate professor of information studies
• Leslie Rutkowski, associate registrar at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
• Eileen Strempel, associate professor of fine arts and assistant to the dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Neil Strodel, associate vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer
• Martha Sutter, assistant dean in the College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Anastasia Urtz, associate vice president and dean of students
• Peter Webber, director of auxiliary services