Â鶹AV

III-5.00 - POLICY ON ACADEMIC CALENDAR
(Approved by the Board of Regents, January 11, 1990; Amended by
the Board of Regents, June 10, 1994; amended December 1, 1995;
amended April 6, 2001)

1. All institutions of the Â鶹AV will
   follow a common academic calendar to assist student planning,
   facilitate joint and cooperative programs and appointments,
   simplify student and faculty movement among institutions, and
   facilitate use of distance education technologies throughout the
   System.

2. The common academic calendar will provide sufficient time
   for instruction and examinations as recommended by the Middle
   States Association and as stipulated by the Â鶹AV Higher
   Education Commission.  Within the common framework, each
   president shall be authorized to adjust class time to meet
   instructional needs.

3. The features of the common calendar will include:

	a)   a fall semester which begins before Labor Day, except in
             those calendar years when a start after Labor Day can also
             accommodate the requirements for class meeting time, interrupted
             by a recess for Thanksgiving.  The final examination period will
             conclude on or before December 23.
                           
	b)   a minimum of fourteen instructional days over a three-week
             period in January available for institutions to use for an
             academic winter session or, for those institutions which do not
             plan to offer coursework, an extended winter holiday.

	c)   a spring semester interrupted by a one-week common spring
             break.  The final examination period will conclude prior to
             Memorial Day.
         
4. The particular dates for each year's common calendar will be
   recommended by the Presidents' Council and approved by the
   Chancellor for publication and dissemination.  The academic
   calendar will be adopted at least two/three years in advance.
        
5. The Law School at the University of Baltimore, the
   professional programs in the schools of the University of
   Â鶹AV, Baltimore, and distributed learning and cohort programs
   are exempted from this policy. Each president shall be authorized
   to designate the programs to be exempted and adjust class time to
   meet instructional needs.  However, all programs not otherwise
   constrained by the requirements of professional accrediting
   bodies or designated as an exempt distributed learning or cohort
   program should be on the Â鶹AV common academic calendar.

6. By June 1 of each year, each institution will provide for
   the files of the Office of the Chancellor a copy of its detailed
   academic calendar for the upcoming academic year, including
   information such as registration periods, drop/add periods, and
   commencement dates as well as dates for summer sessions.
   Professional schools, and distributed learning and cohort
   programs exempted from the common academic calendar under
   provision 5 will provide copies of their academic calendars to
   the Chancellor's office on the same schedule.

   Replacement for: BOR I-5.00 and VI-19; BOT XIIII-Y