With the recent approval of a common academic calendar for all Tennessee Board of Regents universities and two-year colleges, institutions including Tennessee Tech will now schedule fall, spring and summer semesters according to an academic calendar template.

The calendar is intended to promote efficiency and facilitate cooperation between and among TBR institutions. With the common schedule, the TBR hopes to increase student enrollment in collaborative programs, enable institutions to share resources, encourage consortia among institutions and use the system’s information technology more efficiently.

"One of the most significant benefits of a common calendar is coordinating start and end dates for students enrolled in the Regents Online Degree Program, because a number of them are taking courses at more than one university," says Rebecca Tolbert, associate vice president for Enrollment Management. "Right now, they have different starting dates, exam dates and ending dates. Starting next fall, all those dates will be the same."

Ellen Weed, TBR’s former associate vice chancellor for academic affairs who helped coordinate the project, also sees the common calendar as a helpful for students.

"The advantages of having a common calendar became apparent when we were developing the RODP," she says. "A common calendar is essential for increasing the level of collaboration among TBR colleges and universities. It makes it much easier for students who enroll at more than one institution."

The standard 15-week terms will provide approximately 750 minutes of instruction per semester hour of credit. TTU is not required to have the exact schedule as every other university or college during the semester, but start dates, end dates, breaks, registration and test dates are dictated by the common calendar.

A campus subcommittee is ironing out details this semester. In addition to determining calendar dates, members will choose the times classes will start and end.

"With 15 weeks of class on the new calendar, Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes will last 55 minutes instead of 50," says Tolbert. "Tuesday-Thursday classes will be 80 or 85 minutes. The subcommittee will report its recommendations to the Academic Council this fall to approve the new schedule, which will finalize the process."

Some flexibility exists within the calendars, including the opportunity for institutions to schedule additional terms of alternate lengths as long as they do not conflict with the calendar or federal financial aid requirements.

Institutions have the option of requesting an exception to take the Good Friday holiday on the Friday of spring break rather than the Friday prior to Easter. TTU’s policy of requiring annual days to be taken during the Christmas and New Year's holidays will not change.

MTSU, TSU and APSU adopted a common calendar prior to this fall as a result of a Geier stipulation.

More details of the new guidelines can be found at www.tbr.state.tn.us/policies_guidelines/academic_guidelines/A-019.htm.