Date: May 21, 2008

To: Department Chairpersons
Program Directors

From: Susan Coultrap-McQuin
Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs

Re: College Hour(s) for Spring 2009

You have recently received from the Registrar scheduling requests for Spring 2009, due back to his office on September 10, 2008. As you plan schedules for next spring, please reserve a time period for College Hour, preferably Wednesdays at 12:40 or, as an alternative, an afternoon slot that your department/ programs will use for regular programming. I am offering two options because as a campus we have not yet identified a “best” time for College Hour after the pilot phase ends in the fall.

College Hour has been very successful in many areas. It is one of the ways in which we further faculty-student interactions on the campus. It is one of the ways in which we highlight our educational strengths. It is one of the ways in which we extend intellectual conversations beyond the classroom. These goals are important for the students we hope to attract to SUNY Oswego.

The campus-wide survey from students, staff, and faculty members showed strong satisfaction with College Hour. The survey also showed a preference overall for College Hour in the middle of the day. Student Association has expressed its strong interest in continuing College Hour and proposed the afternoon. As we continue discussions about College Hour next semester, we will need to choose a single “best time” for the College Hour. The advantage of a campus-wide time is that all students and faculty have an open time in common.

In the meantime, I ask that your department/programs hold a time block for College Hour when preparing Spring 2009 schedules, preferably 12:40 on Wednesdays, or, as an alternate, an afternoon slot for your own regular programming. The Office of the Associate Provost will collect all the information about planned events for Spring in order to publish a booklet of the College Hour(s) activities and a weekly poster of events. In this way, we will keep College Hour programming as an on-going part of campus life during Spring 2009.

I look forward to working with you to continue this fine project. Please contact me or your dean with your questions. Thank you.

c. S. Camp, Faculty Assembly
President’s Council and Deans
A. Westfall, Registrar
D. Nau, Student Association