Students at the University of Florida will soon have the option for a fall vacation instead of a summer vacation.

This new plan would allow UF to admit students for spring and summer semesters, instead of the traditional fall and spring semesters. Though it was originally thought that a state statute might block the plan, the state Legislature has given approval to pilot the plan without repealing the statute.

‘A major concern of the University of Florida is the ability of students to gain access to higher education,’ said Joe Glover, UF provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. ‘This plan is an attempt to offer more students the ability to attend.’ 

The university is already at capacity during the fall semester, Glover said. During the spring and summer, more spots open up because students graduate in the winter or study abroad in the spring, he said. 

‘I could imagine various types of students interested in this program: students who want their falls free, students who think they have better opportunities for internships and work in fall, and students who like summer courses,’ said Steve Orlando, the director for print and online media at UF. 

But a 2004 Florida Legislature state statute mandates that students who enter college with nine or more Advanced Placement or similar credits cannot be required to attend summer school.

‘At the time, they thought it was a good idea, and it was connected with another program,’ Glover said. ‘Eventually the other program was repealed, and this statute was not.’ 

Many students in the UF system come in with nine or more credits, Glover said. With the current statute in place, many students would not be able to take advantage of the program the university is trying to offer.  

Last week the Legislature told the university it does not believe the statute needs to be repealed for the experiment to proceed, so planning for the project has moved forward. 

If the law does need to be repealed, the university would have to follow normal Florida state procedure for amending or repealing a statute. A member of the Legislature would have to introduce a bill that would amend or repeal the statute.

This introduced bill would then follow the normal legislative process to be passed. Once the statute is repealed, the plan can go into effect, which would probably happen in January 2013, Glover said.

Enrolling in the summer semester would not be mandatory for students, Glover said. It would be an option incoming students could check off on their applications about whether they would be interested in this program or not.  

The next step is to begin planning in earnest and to hash out specific details, Glover said. For example, classes that are available in sequences, such as languages, will need to be adjusted so they are available in the spring and summer semesters, as well as the fall and spring semesters. 

‘We anticipate that we will need to employ more instructors, but that’s what student tuition is for,’ Glover said. ‘Since we normally have over 20,000 students on campus in summer, many buildings are already open, along with dining facilities and the like, so that infrastructure is already available.’ 

medelane@syr.edu

Published on September 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meghin: medelane@syr.edu | @meghinwithani