From the President: Academic Calendar Update

Students and Families,

Over the past few months, Guilford College faculty and administrators have been examining the academic calendar for possible revisions with three goals in mind: to create the best educational experiences for our students, help streamline work for faculty and staff, and help make the College financially sustainable for the long run.  

As a result of many conversations, surveys and meetings about the academic calendar, we’ve decided on a 14-14-3 plan, meaning one 14-week term in the fall and a 14-week term in the spring followed by a 3-week term. This will be effective next academic year and will replace our current 3-12-12-3 schedule. 

Because we’ve heard clearly that working well on tough academic assignments requires substantial breaks, we will:

• observe fall break for a full week;
• have a full week without classes for Thanksgiving Break;
• observe spring break for a full week;
• have six days off between the 14-week term and the 3-week term.

Here’s an overview of the calendar for 2023-24.

Faculty will be using what we’ve learned in the three-week terms so far to make these spring three-week courses universally powerful learning experiences for students.  

We are a learning institution, and we look forward to continuing to learn from experience as we work together.

Sincerely,
Kyle Farmbry
President

Maria Rosales
Provost