Rickey Miller II
Staff Reporter

Briar Cliff University is one of few college institutions that still operates on the term system, but administrators and staff are meeting to decide if we will conform to the semester system or stick with our trimester system.

In order to be licensed as a teacher in Iowa, one must spend fourteen continuous weeks of student teaching. Whereas a year ago, students only needed twelve weeks to complete the teaching program. Students would begin teaching a week before term began and end a week after everyone else. Even though the new change is a statewide issue, the university has requested permission to be allowed to be exempt from this rule. State officials haven’t yet responded to the request, but the general belief is that Briar Cliff is expected to fall in line with the rest of the state. Dean of students, Dr. William Mangan commented, “We are not only considering this for the education department. There are a number of reasons we may make the switch, but education has definitely become a catalyst in the conversation of switching to semesters.”

Many committees have been formed to take an in depth look at what would be the best solution to this issue. The Academic Policies Committee has been researching alternative calendars that may best suit a change, if any, for the university. Faculty will meet this week to discuss the committee’s findings and examine proposals they will make on a new schedule. Even if the meeting results in everyone agreeing with the change, other institutions on campus must comply with the recommendations including the Board of Trustees and the Administrative Council, comprised of the presidents and vice presidents.

“If there is a recommendation for change, our students will have the opportunity to give feedback," said Mangan, "but there is no set timeline on this. A decision may not be made in this academic year at all; there is a possibility of this going into next year. Nothing is imminent.”

“Personally, if it’s a question of retaining our education program, I will decide with the best change that will allow us to move forward,” said Mangan. “We have a rich tradition of education that has been passed down over time with our founding Sisters of Saint Francis and I wouldn’t want to break from that.”

This isn’t the first time this issue has risen, but no concrete solution has been found to allow the school to retain the term system and fulfill the state requirements.
“It could lead to potential legal problems for the state if they allow us a pardon that other institutions won’t have,” said Mangan. “So basically, we may have to fall in line or get rid of the education program, that’s the reality of the situation.”

Although there is no specific timeline set, Mangan believes the state will go no longer than to 2012 without a decision being made on the academic calendar.

How will the change affect other majors? Some departments feel that their curriculum could be negatively affected by the change. The frequent turnover of courses within a year allows for teachers to implement an extensive range of classes in a brief amount of time to fulfill major requirements. On the other hand, some professors feel that there is so much work required in their major but not enough time to fulfill it, which may make many feel rushed to complete their lesson plans in a ten week period.

“Both sides have convincing arguments, but in the grand scheme of things we have to make the best decision as an institution, for the good of our mission and for our current and future students, even if it is against popular demand.” said Mangan.

The university has been working around the clock to provide a conscious rational decision to the debate and because of the current academic calendar, any decision made would take place during the 2012-2013 school year. The term system has been around Briar Cliff for the past 40 years and many teachers here have seen the high and low points of it.
“If we do retain the term system, I hope that we allow ourselves to recommit to it," said Mangan. "We don’t want our terms to be seen as accelerated semesters.”

The pros and cons of each can be argued extensively, but a decision will be made in the next few years on whether Briar Cliff will remain on the term system or switch to semesters.