UC Davis has adopted new academic calendars, joining some of its sister UC campuses on a common start date for instruction beginning in the fall of 2007.

Davis' new academic calendars will replace the previously established calendar for 2007-08 and govern the academic years through 2010-11. The changes apply to the fall, winter and spring quarters. Professional schools and summer instruction are not affected.

The new calendars eliminate the need for confusing make-up days when national holidays fall on Monday, lengthen spring break, keep spring commencements from falling on Father's Day and get students out a week earlier at the end of the year.

This week, in a letter, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef informed the UC Office of the President of the new academic calendars for UC Davis.

Four campuses on the quarter system — Irvine, Riverside, Santa Barbara and San Diego — are already on board with the plan. Two other campuses — Los Angeles and Santa Cruz — are awaiting campus decisions on a common instruction start date.

UC Davis Registrar Frank Wada said Berkeley and Merced are on semester systems and will develop their own common start date.

In 2004, the UC Academic Senate suggested the UC system align the academic calendars of its campuses so students could take advantage of off-site programs such as Education Abroad and UC Washington programs, and more easily take courses at other UC campuses as visiting students.

The new UC Davis calendars, among other highlights, will:

• Keep the start of fall instruction on a Thursday and maintain a common Monday start for the winter and spring quarters.
• Eliminate the need for "conversion days" that make up for Monday classes missed when the campus observes national holidays.
• Lengthen the spring break period from five days this year to eight days in 2007-08 to 2010-11.
• Reduce the number of spring quarter instruction days by one day to 48.
• Reduce final exam days from six to five and add another exam period each day (this provides for an additional day during the quarter breaks and helps maintain a Friday through Sunday spring commencement schedule).
• Move fall commencement to a Saturday and keep spring commencements from falling on Father's Day after 2007-08.

Apart from the start of instruction, all other academic calendar items — such as the beginning of the quarter, the last day of instruction, final exams and commencements — remain at the discretion of each campus.

In coordinating the instruction start dates, registrars from the UC campuses worked within existing protocols to establish calendars while observing a UC bylaw that mandates a minimum of 146 days of instruction in an academic year and no fewer than 48 days per quarter.

Fred Wood, interim vice provost for undergraduate studies at UC Davis, said planning included consultations with the Academic Senate, Undergraduate Council, faculty, students and representatives of each undergraduate college.

Wood said one concern about the systemwide academic calendar is the loss of a winter quarter orientation day in later years. "Along with UCSD, we have asked that this be reconsidered at a later date," he said.

Other concerns included the loss of an instruction day in the spring quarter.

Wada said UC Davis tried to address concerns and incorporate other suggestions for improving the calendar. "We realized there's no one perfect calendar to meet all needs and issues," he said. "This represents the best possible model to maintain UC Davis calendar guidelines and resolve most issues presented."

UC Davis' proposed calendar was reviewed by the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors, which recommended it to the chancellor.

For the fall of 2007, instruction will begin Sept. 27, as previously set. The final exam period will run from Dec. 10 to 14, instead of Dec. 10 to 15. And the fall commencement will be held on Saturday, Dec. 15, instead of the following Sunday.

In winter quarter 2008, instruction will start and end four days later than previously scheduled. Eliminating the need to make up Mondays lost to two national holidays, classes will start on Monday, Jan. 7, and end on Monday, March 17. Dead day has been eliminated, and final exams will run from March 18 to 22, instead of March 15 and March 17 to 21.

Instruction will not resume until March 31. Wood said the longer spring break will allow students more time to refresh themselves or participate in educational endeavors. Faculty and staff would have more time to submit and process winter quarter grades, and to prepare for spring quarter.

Classes for spring quarter 2008 will begin March 31 and run through June 5, instead of April 3 to June 11. Dead day will be six days earlier, on June 6, and exams will be June 7 and June 9 to 12 instead of June 13 to 14 and June 16 to 19. Undergraduate commencements will be held June 13 to 15 instead of June 20 to 22.

"It was a challenge for us to compress the academic year to be in alignment with the systemwide calendar," Wood said.

However, he added that one of the major benefits of the new calendars is that students will complete the academic year a week earlier. "Students will have the option of beginning summer employment earlier," he said, "and many faculty and graduate students can turn their full attention to their research."

The calendars and a fact sheet are available online, registrar.ucdavis.edu/html/academic_calendar.html.