Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1972 [PAGE 521]

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1972]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

511

T h e subject of an early calendar has been seriously considered by the Urbana-Champaign Senate for the past four years. The 1973-74 early calendar as approved by the Senate last November 8 will include 89 days of instruction per semester, a figure identical to that of the "traditional calendar" of 1972-73 and past years. The normal eight-week summer session will still be maintained. although shifted in time to accommodate the earlier dates of the new calendar. T h e key dates are shown below: Early Calendar Traditional Calendar Fall Semester (1973-74) (1972-73) Registration Aug. 23-25 Sept. 14-16 Instruction Begins Aug. 27 Sept. 18* Last Day of Instruction Dec. 14 Jan. 13 Semester Examinations Dec. 15-22 Jan. 15-23 Spring Semester Registration Instruction Begins Spring Vacation Last Day of Instruction Semester Examinations Jan. 17-19 Jan. 21 Mar. 18-24 May 10 May 11-18 Feb. 1-3 Feb. 5 April 15-23 May 26 May 28-June 5

T h e 1974 summer session is scheduled for June 10 through August 3. This is approximately one week earlier than for the traditional calendar. The primary reason for starting the fall semester earlier is to avoid the "lame duck" two-week class period following the Christmas holidays and preceding semester examinations. Faculty members have traditionally felt that this is an unproductive learning period. Students at Urbana-Champaign have strongly supported the idea of an early calendar for the same reason. In addition, earlier completion of the spring semester will provide students with an advantage in the summer job market. This advantage will, however, be offset somewhat by the late August start of the fall semester classes. The proposed early calendar also provides a longer period of free time between semesters, thus alleviating the present problem of early and rigid deadlines for grading and grade reports to which faculty members are uniformly opposed. In addition, the proposed calendar will more closely mesh with the calendars of the Chicago Circle campus, the Medical Center campus, and other institutions which operate on a quarter system. Provisional Report on the Recommendations of the Board of Higher Education for the Operating Appropriations of the University of Illinois for Fiscal Year 1972-73 (The report is summarized briefly as a part of these minutes. T h e full text is filed with the Secretary.) T h e President submitted, in some detail, an analysis of the impact of the recommendations of the Board of Higher Education upon the University's appropriations request for operations for 1972-73. The report was presented as a provisional one, without request for Board action. The President stated that a complete report would be presented to the Trustees at the March meeting of the Board. The analysis dealt with: cost increases projected for the University in 1972-73 and with the resources needed to meet the unfunded cost increases. T h e president reported that four methods of meeting such costs were being considered : (a) absorption of certain cost increases through increased work loads, reductions in purchases, and lowering the quality of supporting services; (b) increases in income; (c) transfer of costs to self-supporting accounts (existing and new); (d) reductions in the present budget and reallocation of the savings to support higher-priority purposes. A provisional plan for meeting these cost increases was presented. A preliminary analysis of reductions proposed by the Board of Higher Education was provided, the President indicating that administrative officers and

•Subsequently changed to September 19.