Sample Summer Notice
Summer 2009 is right around the corner... well, it is coming sooner than you think :-) Along those lines, we need your help to develop an effective set of offerings that serves our student population well and treats our faculty fairly. This year, we will conduct courses in formats that will span from four to ten weeks in a single summer term. Offering departments will decide on the appropriate length for each summer course based on what is pedagogically sound. Some other important points you should know about next summer...
Marketing
Our initial plan is to release Summer 2009 course listings for student consumption no later than Wednesday, December 3... prior to the fall final exam period and before students return home for the holidays. Our undergraduate summer session web site will be re-launched at the same time. Student recruitment efforts will continue to focus solely on the current Furman undergraduate population... we do not intend to actively market ourselves to transient students.
Advising, Registration, and Payment
Registration for the summer term will begin Monday, February 2. Students will be strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisors in regard to summer enrollment. All registrations will be processed through Academic Records. All payments will be accepted by the Student Business Center. No student may attend class without being paid in full. Academic Affairs administration would operate in the same fashion as regular terms.
Offering Management
Academic considerations will be paramount in our decision-making about course offerings. We will continue to make decisions that are financially prudent for the institution, but academic concerns not financial ones, will be the primary factor in our decision making. You will be contacted in all cases when courses enroll 5 or less students, unless you direct otherwise, about the feasibility of proceeding with the offering. Cancellation decisions for summer courses will be made no later than 2 weeks prior to the start date for any course section.
Now that you know what we plan to do... Please consult the attached summer enrollment analysis. Use the drop-down box labeled discipline to review summer offerings in the past eight years for your department.
In consultation with the members of your department, determine the number of sections of each course you plan to offer next summer. At this point, our thinking should be independent of meeting times, locations, and instructors. I'll be back in touch soon to pester you on that front. The following criteria may be useful in helping determinations about what and how much to offer:
1. Courses that have been successful in recent summer sessions.
2. Courses that meet general education requirements.
3. Courses that specifically meet major requirements, if a significant number of majors have historically attended summer sessions.
4. Courses that are in high demand during the academic year or that were not offered in their routine pattern during the immediate past academic year.
Please respond to this request no later than Wednesday, October 15.
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