After three years of spring breaks disrupted by the pandemic, UNK will return to a full week of rest and relaxation across campus in 2023 for the first time since 2019.
The week-long break will also be the first in place with the 3-week January term introduced in 2021 during the height of the pandemic.
According to the report from the University of Nebraska Calendar committee to the Board of Regents, the Committee “urged that the University of Nebraska move ‘towards calendars with as much commonality as possible’ to ensure that students taking coursework on multiple campuses would not be disadvantaged.”
The 2022-23 academic calendar was approved by the Board of Regents earlier this month when the Regents accepted the Registrar’s report setting an Aug. 22 start date for the Fall 2022 semester; the final day to drop and add classes with a full refund will be Aug. 26.
The approved calendar also includes a break for Labor Day, which made its return in the 2022-23 academic year after being removed in Fall 2020 amid pandemic concerns.
Fall break will remain unchanged despite shelved plans to reduce fall break and allow the campus community more time to rest over Thanksgiving Break.
“That’s an awfully long slog from the end of August to Nov. 23,”
Finals will conclude Dec. 15 with winter commencement set for the following day on Dec. 16. Campus will remain closed until Jan. 3, which will mark the start of the 3-week academic session.
Going into a third year, the J-term may be receiving an expanded selection of courses as more colleges across campus aim to provide opportunities across a range of majors.
“Faculty are still devising different kinds of courses to meet what could go on during that three week term,” Bicak said. “For some it would be the ability to knock out a requirement in some area. I think the desire of students to see a variety of options is still unfolding.”
With the J-term sharing the back half of the academic year with the reinstated full spring break, classes will remain in session about one week later than they are scheduled to in 2022. Finals will conclude on Mar. 12 this year and last until May 18 next spring.
The increased length of the semester is one of the trade-offs that has to be considered when discussing a calendar that serves student needs while holding to requirements set by state law and university leadership.
“I think part of it is what kind of respite, or break, do people really need?” Bicak said. “That’s students, but certainly faculty and staff as well from the routine.”
