Feb. 4, 2003
University Launches Study Group to Explore Trimesters
By Thomas
Kohout
A representative study group has been appointed by President Stephen
Joel Trachtenberg and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Donald R. Lehman to examine questions related to the president’s
proposal to convert the University’s academic calendar to either
a quarter or trimester system. Over the next three months the group
will meet regularly to investigate and analyze the challenges and potential
benefits of such a change, and submit its findings to the University’s
senior staff who will then decide what recommendation to make to the
Board of Trustees later this spring.
In a recent policy address to the faculty assembly, Trachtenberg asked
the University to explore a switch to trimesters in an effort to make
full use of the University’s sunk costs.
“The idea is simply to make full use of both the year and our facilities,”
says Trachtenberg. “We are maintaining and paying for our buildings
and grounds 12 months a year, but we are actually using them fully a
little more than half the year.”
The question is whether the University can apply the balance of May,
June, July, and August to add an additional semester without negatively
impacting the quality of the mission. Under a trimester system, the
University would offer three sessions with students enrolling in two
per-year and taking at least one summer session during their tenure.
“The potential beauty of it,” says Lehman, “is the opportunity
to use our facilities to their fullest extent. It might take some pressure
off the classroom demands during the entire academic year.”
Lehman says that under the current system the University is operating
at or near the limit of the utilization of the current campus facilities
during the fall and the spring.
“One of the big advantages of a trimester system is you could keep
the place humming year-round,” he adds.
Co-chairing the study group is Charles Karelis, research professor of
philosophy, and Walter Brown, assistant professor of higher education.
As a former president of Colgate University and director of the Fund
for Improvement of Post Secondary Education, Karelis has first-hand
strategic planning experience. Brown was selected because of his special
professional higher education planning background. The 17-member committee
also includes three senior staff representatives — Associate Vice
President for Finance Donald Boselovic, Associate Vice President for
Human Resources Susan Kaplan, and Assistant Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, SASS, Johnnie Osborne — two associate deans
— Edward Caress from the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
and Douglas Jones from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Faculty and staff members who either volunteered or were recommended
by their deans or the Faculty Senate include: Barry Berman, professor
of physics; Edward Cherian, professor of information systems; Robert
Churchill, professor of philosophy; Carol Hoare, professor of human
development and human resources; Framji Minwalla, assistant professor
of English and of theater and dance; John Boswell, professor emeritus
of education; Jan Sherrill, CLLC, and lecturer, University Honors Program;
and Andrea Stewart, assistant University librarian, administration,
development, and personnel. Gerald Kauvar, special assistant to the
president, will serve as ex-officio, and representing the student body
is School of Business and Public Management undergraduate Amanda Mintzer.
The most important goal for the study group, according to Lehman, is
to “provide models of the effects of enrollment changes on the
demand for instructional facilities, and include in such models estimates
of revenues and expenditures.
“This is a research project, ” Lehman adds. “What I’m
really looking for is to have the study group take each question and
dispassionately and impartially find all of the pros and cons.”
Leading the initial list of questions the group will tackle are issues
of student life, such as the impact on financial aid, athletic programs,
student government, and most importantly student learning. Other important
issues include whether additional faculty would be needed and in what
areas, as well as the impact on faculty research, registration, housing,
maintenance, and utilities.
“I need to be convinced that this is academically sound,”
says Trachtenberg. “That’s our first agenda. Before all other
things we are an academic institution. Anything we do has to maintain
the intellectual, scholarly, and programmatic integrity of the school.
“I think what we are doing is trying to figure out if we can make
this idea work for us,” says Trachtenberg. “The answer could
be no. If that’s the case I’ll be sorry, but I think it’s
good to ask questions like this to see if what we’re doing can
be done better.”
Members of the GW community with issues they feel the study group should
investigate may E-mail their questions to vpaa@gwu.edu,
and include “trimester proposal” in the subject line.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
