Turlock – Dr. Ham Shirvani, President of California State University, Stanislaus, announced today that the University will be discontinuing its Winter Term beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year. Winter Term will be replaced with a self-support inter-session.
The action takes CSU Stanislaus away from its current 4-1-4 academic calendar and moves it to a more traditional model that consists of two, 15-week semesters with a self-support inter-session in January 2011. In order to ensure access to the inter-session, CSU Stanislaus will provide need-based scholarships to eligible students for the differential fees between self-support and state fees.
Shirvani said, “The magnitude of the current state budget cuts, combined with costly unfunded mandates, forced us to reconsider the 4-1-4 calendar model in light of its budgetary and workload implications. Through broad consultation with deans, faculty, staff, students, and other campus groups, I am pleased that we are able to provide an alternative inter-session that encourages faculty to address special educational needs and enables students to maintain progress toward graduation.”
“President Shirvani has gone out of his way to respond to student needs,” said Dr. Herman Lujan, Interim Provost at CSU Stanislaus. “The entire structure of this new calendar is based on serving the needs of the students.”
Diana Heredia, President of Associated Students, agreed, saying, “Currently, fewer than 50 percent of students register for Winter Term and those who don’t lose financial aid. The new inter-session will allow students to take full advantage of their financial aid packages during the fall and spring semesters, and will also provide opportunities for additional classes. It is a great solution that will enhance students’ educational experiences at CSU Stanislaus.”
April Dunham-Filson, who works in the Office of Information Technology and serves as the Staff Representative on the Academic Senate said, “Staff is wholeheartedly behind this decision and truly appreciates President Shirvani’s leadership. He has solved one of the University’s most pressing issues.”
The CSU Stanislaus Academic Calendar was studied by both the university-wide Academic Calendar Advisory Committee (ACAC) and the University Educational Policy Committee (UEPC). Both ACAC and UEPC provided their recommendations to President Shirvani for review and consideration.
