2022-2023 Academic Calendar and Continuation of the 14-Week Semester Pilot

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community:

I write to announce the university’s 2022-23 academic calendar, including our plans to continue the 14-week semester pilot. 

The university has approved the 2022-2023 Academic Calendar, now marked as “official,” that is available on The HUB website. The summer internship calendar for students who are earning credit for their internship was also approved.

Calendar Innovation Committee and the 14-Week Semester Pilot

The Calendar Innovation Committee, convened in 2019, was originally charged with reviewing our academic calendar and making recommendations that advance student-centered efforts to provide a strong academic experience that is supportive of creative pedagogy and community well-being. In 2020, the committee pivoted its work to provide recommendations in response to the pandemic, resulting in a proposed 14-week semester, which was piloted in the fall 2021 and spring 2022.

Throughout the pilot, the committee monitored and listened to our community's feedback. Its work was highly collaborative, looking both qualitatively and quantitatively at the perspectives of our faculty, students and advisors across all schools and colleges, including undergraduate and graduate programs.

The 14-week calendar offers numerous advantages and opportunities. The primary benefit is that it allows us to better meet the needs of our student's health and well-being. It also creates symmetry between the fall and spring semesters, allowing similar week-long breaks in each, which provides our teaching and learning community respite in the middle of the semester and a break that allows time for true rest and restoration.

Taking all this into account, the committee has recommended that we continue our pilot of the 14-week semester next year and in addition insert and evaluate a week-long fall break. The purpose of this pilot extension is to put the committee’s full set of recommendations into practice and assess their effectiveness before making a final decision.

Tools and Resources

With the help of the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation, we have made available several tools and resources to set all of us up for success as the pilot continues, including individualized faculty consultations on strategies to adjust courses to the upcoming academic calendar. To request a consultation, contact eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu. You can visit the Calendar Innovation Committee website for more information and resources.

I extend my gratitude to professors Rebecca Nugent and Mark Stehlik, co-chairs of the Calendar Innovation Committee, as well as the entire committee for its thorough analysis and feedback, which resulted in a proposal that has the opportunity to improve the teaching and learning experience at CMU. I also appreciate everyone who shared their feedback throughout this process and hope you will continue to do so. 

I look forward to the next academic year and appreciate your support as we continue to find ways to provide an exceptional Carnegie Mellon educational experience.

Sincerely,

Jim Garrett

Provost and Chief Academic Officer