letter to the editor

Author: [no author name found]

To the Editor:

An article about the calendar change to begin in spring semester 2009 appeared in last week's The Middlebury Campus. I write to provide some background about the strategic planning process that recommended the change, and about subsequent steps to implement it.

The proposal for a Student Research Symposium was first made by a subgroup of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee in August 2005. The proposal included replacing the Friday of Carnival Weekend with a Friday in late spring semester that is free of classes and devoted to a Student Research Symposium. The recommendation appeared in all subsequent drafts of the plan, including at least two versions that were circulated to all members of the community in early 2006. The drafts were the basis for at least three College-wide meetings including an evening Town Meeting, and they generated many responses from the community. The Campus reported several times on various aspects of the plan. The proposed Student Research Symposium was generally supported, and no one expressed opposition to the recommended shift in the calendar schedule.

The Planning Steering Committee included two student members. I believe its support for the Student Research Symposium was unanimous, although the student members indicated that some students would object to the proposed calendar change. There was considerable enthusiasm for the Symposium proposal and the opportunity it provides to recognize and celebrate the achievements of many students. We understood that Winter Carnival activities during daytime hours on Friday (except for the skiing) had been minimal for many years, in contrast to what had been the tradition in earlier decades.

The Calendar Committee, a group of 19 staff members representing many areas of the College, proposed the 2008-09 College calendar in March and April of this year. That calendar, as well as a tentative calendar for 2009-10, was forwarded to the President's Staff in April. The calendars were advanced to the Board of Trustees in early May, and the Board approved the 2008-09 calendar. I note that the Board did not discuss any details of the calendars.

Sincerely,

John Emerson

Dean of Planning