Eastern Oregon University looking into change to semester system

DICK MASON, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·3 min read

Inlow Hall - 2023

Eastern Oregon University's Inlow Hall sits beneath a blue sky in June 2023. The university might someday stop teaching courses in 10-week quarters and move to a system featuring two 15-week semesters.

LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon University might someday stop teaching courses in 10-week quarters and move to a system featuring two 15-week semesters.

This appears to be a possibility based on the strong interest expressed in looking into switching to a semester system shared at a meeting of the school's Governance Committee on Tuesday, April 30.

“I would definitely be in favor of it," EOU chemistry professor Anna Cavinato said.

Cavinato, a faculty representative on the EOU Board of Trustees, said switching to a semester system "would align our curriculum with schools across the nation and beyond."

Most college textbooks and other curriculum materials are prepared for schools with semester systems. When they are used at universities with quarter systems, professors have to make a number of adjustments.

All of Oregon’s state universities are on a three 10-week school year quarter system. However, the Oregon Council of Presidents for state universities wants to look at the possibility of switching to a semester system. The council earlier this year asked the provosts and vice presidents for finance and administration at Oregon’s state universities to look at the options and costs that would be involved in switching to a semester system.

Options that may be considered include having only some state universities operate on a semester system, or having some do so as part of a pilot project, according to Tim Seydel, Eastern’s vice president for university advancement.

Peter Geissinger mug

Geissinger

Peter Geissinger, EOU’s interim provost, believes there is strong interest at Oregon’s state universities for exploring a semester system.

"In principle, there is very strong support for it," he said.

Geissinger noted that at a recent meeting of the Statewide Provost Council, the provosts voted unanimously in favor of looking into switching to a semester system. The provosts then drafted and sent a letter to the presidents of all Oregon’s state universities asking them to strongly consider making the switch.

One of the many pluses of the semester system, Geissinger said, is that its longer classes provide students who fall behind early more time to catch up.

Tim Seydel mug - use this one

Seydel

Seydel also believes this is true.

“Students who stumble would have more time to pull themselves up and achieve a good grade," he said.

Geissinger said that if a move to a semester system is made it would take a long time before it would become a reality because it would be complicated.

“There would be a very long conversion time," he said.

Kelly Ryan mug

Ryan

EOU President Kelly Ryan said EOU’s faculty senate is very supportive of at least looking into making a switch to a semester system. She said the biggest concern faculty members have would be transforming their curriculum so that it works for a semester schedule.

Ryan stressed that moving to a semester system would be "a massive undertaking."

Earlier end to the school year

Universities on semester systems now generally start their classes in the first week of September and end their school year in mid to late May, about a month before Eastern does. Seydel said concluding classes in the academic year in May would help graduating seniors at EOU.

“They could enter the job market earlier," he said.

Seydel estimates that as many as 90% of the nation’s universities are on a semester system.

“We would not be bucking a trend," he said. "We would be getting in line with everyone else."