2021-2022 Academic Calendar Summary (as of 9/10/2019) …

1 2021-2022 Academic Calendar Summary ( as of 9/10/ 2019 ) fall Classes begin: Thursday, august 19th Classes end: Friday, December 10th Holidays: Monday, September 6th, Thursday, November 11th, Wednesday, November 24th Saturday, November 27th Study/ Calendar Balance Day: Tuesday, September 7th, Friday, November 12th Finals (5 days): Monday, December 13th Friday, December 17th Commencement: TBA, Saturday or Sunday, December 18th or December 19th Grades due: Tuesday, December 21st at noon. Term close anticipated: TBA (Generally 2 business days after the Grades Due date) Spring Classes begin: Monday, January 10th Classes end: Monday, May 2nd Holiday: Monday, January 17th Spring Break: Sunday, March 6th Saturday, March 12th Finals (5 days): Tuesday, May 3rd Friday, May 7th Commencement: Sunday, May 8th Grades due: Tuesday, May 10th at noon Term close anticipated: TBA (Generally 2 business days after the Grades Due date) Summer A & C Classes begin: Monday, May 16th Classes end Summer A: Saturday, June 25th Classes end Summer C: Saturday, July 23th Holidays.

2 Monday, May 30th, Monday, July 4th Summer Commencement: Sunday, august 7th Grades due: Tuesday, august 9th at noon Term close anticipated: TBA (Generally 2 business days after the Grades Due date) Summer B Classes begin: Monday, June 27th Classes end: Saturday, august 6th as of :SMTWRFSSMTWRFSSMTWRFS1234567123412101 112308910111213145678910113456789H131415 3132333435151617181920211213141516171810 1112131415161216171819203637383940222324 2526272819202122232425171819202122233456 7212223242541424344452930312627282930242 526272829308926272829464748495031 SMTWRFSSMTWRFSSMTWRFS1234561234151525354 55686970H7891011121356789101123456785657 58H7172737475141516171819201213141516171 89101112131415596061626376-E77-E78-E79-E 80-EC12345212223242526271920212223242516 1718192021226465 HHHCH67892829302627282930312324252627282 966671011121314303115

3 SMTWRFSSMTWRFSSMTWRFS1234512345121617181 9363738395467891011126789101112345678920 21222324 HHHHHH5556575859131415161718191314151617 1819101112131415162526272829404142434460 6162636420212223242526202122232425261718 1920212223303132333445464748496566676869 2728272829303124252627282930355051525370 71727374 SMTWRFSSMTWRFSSMTWRFS12345671234127576-E 77-E78-E79-E80-E121314358910111213145678 910113456789C1516171819H3637383915161718 1920211213141516171810111213141516123452 0212223244041424344222324252627281920212 2232425171819202122236789102526272829304 546474849293031262728293024252627282930H 113132333450515253543180220 SMTWRFS802201234566005556575859602207891 01112138/19-12/10 (exams: 12/13-12/17)80C8014151617181920301?

4 ?Summer B3021222324252627 Summer C22028293031 Approved Senate Subcommitte (IAT)Nov-182021 - 20229/10/19 FallApril 2022 July 2022 March 2022 September 2021 October 2021 December 2021 January 2022 June 2022 IAT Proposed Version 1 august 2022 august 2021 May 2022 November 2021 February 2022 SpringSummer A5/16-7/23fallspringsummerC = Commencement= Start of Term= Study Days1/10-5/2 (exams: 5/3-5/7)5/16-6/25H = Holiday6/27-8/7 Justification for Academic Calendar 2021-22: IAT Proposed Version 1 The Faculty Senate Institutional Affairs Team would like to provide this explanation and justification for the proposed Calendar for Academic Year 2021-22 that starts the fall semester on august 19 and contains a non-class day on September 7, November 12, and November 24.

5 We understand that the President s Cabinet had questions about reasons for the study days indicated on the Calendar and the start date of the semester . First, the term study day may not be the best nomenclature for the non-class days indicated in the fall semester on September 7, November 12, and November 24 because those days serve a dual purpose of balancing the number of M/W and T/R classes and increasing class attendance at scheduled courses. We recognize the appearance of a study day in September seems strange, but in order to balance the number of Tuesdays, removing one Tuesday in the semester is required.

6 The November 12 study day is also not necessarily just for study because this day balances the number of Fridays in the semester . Many faculty at FGCU feel strongly that keeping the days of the week equal in their Academic semesters is important for student success and ensures a consistent learning environment for all students, especially in large enrollment general education laboratory classes like Chemistry and Biology. When there equal numbers of days of the week (15 each per semester ), labs can be scheduled equally across different sections of the same course. And when there is inconsistency (13 Mondays, 16 Tuesdays, 15 Wednesdays, 15 Thursdays, 14 Fridays, for example), it may become common practice to take the lowest number of available days for labs or classes and offer that lowest common denominator to all courses, thus diminishing the opportunity for learning for all students.

7 The major factor that impacts the number of days of the week per semester is official holidays. Labor Day is always a Monday. Veteran s Day occurs on November 11, so its day of the week varies. In 2021, Veteran s Day falls on a Thursday. The Thanksgiving holiday takes out a Thursday and Friday, and in 2021 we propose having no class on the preceding Wednesday as well, since this is a balancing measure that also allows students a chance to travel home for the holiday. These holidays determine how we must distribute days of the week over the semester . Balancing the number of days of the week per semester is also the reason for the Thursday start of the semester .

8 When the faculty members of the Institutional Affairs Team reviewed this draft Calendar for 2021-22 and found that there were too many Tuesdays and Fridays, we agreed that the best time to remove a Tuesday would not be following a Monday which had classes. The reason is we believe removing a Tuesday after a Monday which had classes would encourage too many students to opt to miss scheduled classes on that Monday. This was the logic behind removing the Tuesday adjacent to a Monday holiday. We also like the idea of helping to correct the imbalance caused by the Monday holiday early in the semester to keep M/W and T/R classes in sync.

9 Likewise, since we need to remove a Friday, it makes sense to remove November 12 when many students may decide to miss classes that day rather than come back after the Thursday, November 11 Veteran s Day holiday. In short, we are trying to provide the best learning experience for students. One that gives them an equal amount of class time no matter what day of the week their class is scheduled. We also think that it may help student morale to have these days at different points in the semester rather than clustering them at the end of the semester . And finally, we have tried to locate the non-class days in places where they will lessen the impact of occasions where students are often inclined not to attend class ( , Wednesday before Thanksgiving or Friday after a Thursday holiday).

10 We agree that the name study day may not be communicating the intent for these non-class days early in the semester and propose to rename those that occur earlier to Hurricane Make-Up days , which also serves the additional purpose of helping to cushion any changes to schedule due to weather events in the summer and fall . Respectfully submitted, Faculty Senate Institutional Affairs Team Anna Carlin Dr. Shelby Gilbert Dr. Bette Jackson Dr. Danvers Johnston Dr. Payal Kahar Annie Stout Guidelines for developing the Academic Calendar for Florida Gulf Coast University Prepared collaboratively with the FGCU Registrar s Office and Faculty Senate Institutional Affairs Team February 2014 (with minor update November 2015 and an additional update in September 2016).