Friday, April 3, 2009

Remake Your Calendars

NBC 4: OSU officials voted unanimously to move from quarters to semesters on Friday. OSU Trustees voted at a meeting Friday afternoon… The Ohio State University Student and Faculty Senate previously voted to convert the university to a semester schedule on March 12.

In a press release, Ohio State Provost Joseph A. Alutto said, “The conversion to semesters will allow us to better integrate with other universities, facilitating the transfer of credits and students.”

According to OSU, the conversion process should be complete by 2012 at an estimated cost of $8.7 million to $11.2 million for such expenses as technology modifications, course redesign and curriculum alignment. The school has promised to protect students by providing additional funding for academic advisers to help them navigate the transition.

For OSU’s student government president Peter Koltak, the change is a positive for Buckeyes entering the competitive job market and trying to snag internships. “If we’re getting out of school in May at the same time as everyone else is, rather than in June, it doesn’t set us a month behind in the job hunt,“ Koltak said.

The Committee for Enrollment and Student Progress is working on the structure of the overall academic calendar, which will be voted on by the University Senate. Trustees will then vote on the rule change to accommodate that calendar.

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