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UTM academic calendar trimmed by a week


UTM students will start the Fall 2004 semester two weeks later than they expected.

The Faculty Senate, in its Feb. 10 meeting, unanimously approved a new calendar for the university that shortens the current calendar by one week and aligns the start date and end date with other public universities in Tennessee. The new calendar has classes beginning this fall on Aug. 30 instead of Aug. 16, and moves graduation ahead from Dec. 12 to Dec. 19.

The shorter calendar will continue in Spring 2005 and subsequent semesters.

The issue of changing UTM's calendar arose last fall during discussions of a number of issues that affect the viability of the university's operation. The Senate appointed an ad hoc committee, separate from the Senate's standing committees, to work through some of those issues.

The ad hoc committee first met in January with Chancellor Nick Dunagan, UTK officials and a representative from the Tennessee Board of Regents university system. After discussion of certain issues, such as the calendar and general education curriculum, along with an explanation of why UT and TBR schools should be more closely aligned, the committee divided into subcommittees to work out recommendations on changes to the calendar and the curriculum.

The calendar subcommittee, under the chairmanship of Dr. David Coffey, interim chair of History and Philosophy, developed a 16-week calendar proposal approved by the full Senate.

Coffey said in his presentation that "the sacrifices involved" in switching to shorter semesters are "not distributed equally," acknowledging that especially courses in mathematics and the laboratory sciences will have to be adjusted to fit the shorter timeframe.

The new calendar also includes a longer Thanksgiving break, thanks to an initiative, known as the Raby bill, approved last fall by SGA. In return for taking off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the usual fall Friday study day will now be the last day of classes.

During the Senate's calendar discussion, Dr. Edd Joyner, interim chair of Computer Science and Information Systems, also proposed an amendment to the calendar that would allow for changing Fall Break from Thursday and Friday to Monday and Tuesday, beginning Fall 2005. The change would correct an existing imbalance during the fall semester in the number of class meetings for night classes and labs that meet primarily on Thursdays. The amendment was approved.

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Victoria Hughes