The University of Nebraska–Lincoln plans to begin its spring semester much like it plans to end its fall semester.
The university announced early Monday morning that it will open 2021 with an optional three-week session before officially launching its spring semester Jan. 25.
The proposed academic calendar is a flip of the current fall schedule, which offers a three-week session starting Nov. 30 after a compressed semester. Both calendars were developed with broad campus input and endorsed by Chancellor Ronnie Green’s executive leadership team, the Faculty Senate and UNL’s COVID-19 Task Force, the university said in a news release.
The spring 2021 schedule still must be approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents at its Oct. 8 meeting.
The optional spring session would run from Jan. 4-22. The altered spring schedule would eliminate spring break (March 14-21) and would end with previously scheduled commencement exercises May 7-8. Other key dates in the proposed spring schedule include finals preparation from April 29 to May 1 and finals May 3-7.
The College of Law’s schedule will differ slightly, with classes beginning Jan. 19, finals preparation April 24-25 and finals from April 26 to May 5.
UNL said the compressed spring schedule offers the flexibility needed for the university to meet the academic needs of students while reducing safety risks related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The three-week session also allows students an opportunity to earn credit online or apply for internships or research projects.
UNL said specific details about the three-week session will be announced later after the spring schedule gets approval and is finalized.
So far, UNL has not announced any plans to alter its fall semester plans despite more than 380 COVID-19 cases since students returned to campus, about 350 of those occurring in the past two weeks.