Dec. 2, 2003

It’s Academic

Discussions Continue Regarding Alternative Academic Calendar

By Greg Licamele

Administrators and faculty members continue to encourage the community to offer comments and solutions about a proposed alternative academic calendar.

Speaking at a University forum Nov. 13, Gerry Kauvar, special assistant to the president, said the calendar proposal is not a mandate, but rather an effort to secure GW’s future.

“Even if we made a decision today, we really wouldn’t be able to see any changes until 2010,” Kauvar said. “It takes time to do these things with faculty and staff.”

Proposed by President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg last fall, an alternative calendar is designed to increase student engagement and use University facilities more efficiently. A study group of faculty, staff and students identified areas of potential and of concern in mandating summer sessions and changing the number of classes students would be required to take. In addition to improving student engagement, an alternative calendar would provide additional revenue for the University to devote toward academic facilities and implementing GW’s strategic plan.

At the forum, Kauvar also outlined a broader picture of higher education, noting that the country is in the midst of a population boom for college-age students, however the increase is likely to flatten by 2007 forcing greater competition among universities. He also cited financial trends in higher education such as budget cuts, tuition increases, a decrease in federal aid to students and a weakened economy that have led to smaller endowments.

“It’s not out of any sense of panic that we started to consider the possibilities of alternative calendars,” Kauvar said. “GW is not in any fiscal or academic danger. The president feels that part of his responsibility is to take a long term look into the future, probably beyond his tenure, so that in the years that follow the Trachtenberg presidency, the institution has the intellectual and capital resources to remain in the top tier.”

The first version of the alternative calendar was voted down unanimously by professors at an Oct. 31 Faculty Senate meeting. However, many faculty members recognize the intent of the proposal.

“While we (SBPM faculty) were very solidly opposed to the proposal as presented, I got page after page after page of very thoughtful responses of how the academic quality of this institution could be improved,” said Philip Wirtz, professor of psychology and of management science and one of three SBPM faculty senators. “It is quite clear to me that this faculty is invested in the underlying motivation behind the report. What the faculty was and is opposed to is the way they are contained in the report. I hope the administration hears the other side of that, as well, which is that we are very actively invested in what we do, in our students, in the quality of academic life and we would very much like that to continue.”

Kauvar said he recognizes the need for ongoing discussion because of the report’s shortfalls.

“It was recognizably incomplete to those of us on the committee, but we thought it would stimulate discussion,” he said. “So we need more discussion. We need ideas. There’s no right answer.”

Kauvar encourages comments because all operations of the University, not only for faculty and students, would be affected by a calendar change. The impact on services such as cleaning a residence hall, dining, parking and registration need to be explored further.

Comments about calendar changes should be sent via E-mail to altcal@gwu.edu or by interoffice mail to the Office of the President.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

Related Link

Alternative Academic Calendar Report