In her State of the University Address given on October 29, UC President, Nancy Zimpher announced a push to “extend our baccalaureate programs at both Clermont and Raymond Walters.” This will be great for students who live close to the Clermont and RWC campuses.President Zimpher also announced that part of the strategic planning process for the whole UC system was to work with the University System of Ohio (USO) and convert UC’s academic calendar of quarters to semesters. The benefits of going to the semester system are numerous, but the top one is simple: “…so that students can move more easily from one institution to another.”
President Zimpher announced during her speech that she would recommend to the Board of Trustees that the University of Cincinnati, with help from the UC Task Force on Calendar Conversion, transfer from a quarter system to a semester system by the year 2012. On November 18, the Board of Trustees accepted unanimously President Zimpher’s recommendation and supported the transition. The University System Ohio supports this transition through its Strategic Plan for Higher Education. The USO Strategic Plan states, “The success of students, the integration of institutions, and opportunities to improve efficiencies and trim costs would be bolstered by a move toward a common academic calendar across all of the universities in the state.” To date, the following universities still operate on the quarter system:
University of Cincinnati
Ohio State University
Wright State University
Ohio University
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Anthony J. Perzigian, said, “the conversion will provide an opportunity to review and improve the university’s academic programs. When coupled with program review,” he said, “conversion will result in a modernized curriculum and streamlined degree requirements.” Conversion will also be coupled with collegiate restructuring, performance-based budgeting and strategic enrollment planning.
If students would like to obtain more information on the changes and the growth to the University of Cincinnati, they can either watch or read President Zimpher’s State of the University address. They can download a copy of the speech at this link, or they can view it online in the Archived Web Cast section here.
What do all these changes mean for Raymond Walters Students? Potentially great benefits. With the quarter to semester conversion, more students who are transferring to or from an institution that is currently on the semester system will have an easier time with all their credits transferring.
When Raymond Walters and the Clermont Campuses begin to offer baccalaureate programs, more students will be able to attend the campus that is closest to their homes.