Now that faculty and students have settled into semesters, Ohio University is considering a new academic schedule — trimesters.
Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit has created a task force, chaired by Scripps College of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth, to evaluate the possibility of rebranding OU’s Summer Session and its courses in favor of a trimester schedule.
Transitioning to a trimester schedule would be simple on the current semester schedule, and it would primarily focus on solidifying the two-part summer session into one semester, Titsworth said.
“The calendar that we have right now could just as easily be called a trimester approach,” Titsworth said.
OU already offers a variety of summer courses, Titsworth said, but by rebranding the summer as a trimester, advisers would increase promotion of the summer classes as a way to graduate early or open up schedules during fall and spring semesters.
“If we rebranded the summer as a trimester and started to talk about it in terms of the academic advantages of using summer courses, then I think that rebranding might have some really valuable benefit in how you advise students to utilize summer courses,” Titsworth said.
Although advisers would recommend that students attend OU during the summer semester in order to open up their schedules, Titsworth said it was unlikely that any program would require students to take summer courses.
“Any time you ever require something, it’s very rare that it’s going to fit everybody’s circumstances,” Titsworth said.
Faculty would not be required to teach summer courses either, but they could receive financial incentives to work over the summer.
The trimester rebranding will require approval in OU faculty’s nine-month employment contract, said Elizabeth Sayrs, chair of Faculty Senate.
“In order to actually have trimesters we would have to have faculty who are willing to have part of the summer as their regular duty and maybe exchange that for time during the winter and other terms,” Sayrs said.
If the committee and faculty decide to proceed with the trimester schedule, Benoit will begin gathering feedback from all colleges and departments, said Laura Myers, interim chief of staff to the provost.
“(Benoit’s) style is typically very supportive,” Myers said. “She really wants to hear what the faculty has to say.”
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@DanielleRose84
