Maymester Goals

1. To provide students and faculty an intensive learning opportunity, allowing them to concentrate on one subject over a three-week period;
2. To provide students and faculty with the opportunity to explore topics not normally available in the curriculum;
3. To provide students the opportunity to explore subjects at appropriate off-campus sites;
4. To provide students the opportunity to meet requirements in order to graduate on schedule.

Voting Items

1. Recommendation to the Board of Trustees:
   The faculty recommends to the Hendrix College Board of Trustees that a three-week Maymester be included as a regular feature of the academic calendar.
2. Guidelines for Maymester

Maymester Course Approval/Scheduling/Registration Issues and Timeline

1. In general, an approved course is an approved course.  No distinction in the Catalog will be made regarding the anticipated term in which a course will be taught – Fall Semester, Spring Semester, or Maymester.

2. There is a two-step process in order for a course to be on the Maymester schedule.  The course must be approved as a Hendrix course and the faculty member must be approved by Committee on Faculty to teach during Maymester.

3. Course approval:

   1. Maymester courses that are not in the catalog were approved as temporary courses and need to be submitted through the normal curricular approval process as permanent courses if they are anticipated to be taught again.

   2. Brand new courses which are anticipated to be taught during Maymester need to be submitted through the normal curricular approval process this fall.  Courses may be proposed as permanent courses.

   3. In order for Curriculum Committee to give timely processing to potential Maymester courses, proposers should notify Curriculum Committee if a newly proposed course is planned for Maymester.  The Curriculum Committee will consider these proposals first and attempt to have them ready for the AP in time to be put on the November faculty meeting agenda for faculty vote.  This will allow for the timely publication of the slate of Maymester courses.

   4. Courses may carry Learning Domains.

   5. Courses planned for Maymester which are already in the Catalog do not need to be specially approved by Curriculum Committee.

4. Instructor approval:

   1. Faculty are not required to teach in Maymester.  Those faculty members wishing to teach a course in Maymester 2010 will submit a written proposal to Committee on Faculty.  The proposal form is attached.  Included on the form is the confirmation from the department chair that the department approves this course to be taught in the compressed format of Maymester.  Questions that the department should consider include:

5. Other guidelines:

   1. Current Hendrix students receive priority in enrolling in classes.

   2. No student may audit a course.

   3. Instructors of Maymester courses are full-time members of the Hendrix faculty.

   4. Off-campus Maymester courses must also follow regular guidelines for off-campus courses outlined on page G-22 of the Faculty Handbook.

   5. Exceptions must be approved by Committee on Faculty.

   6. An oversight committee for summer programs will be formed which will include representatives from the various constituencies involved.  Membership will include Faculty, Students, Business Office, Physical Plant, Housing, Dining Services, Calendar Coordinator, etc.

6. Timeline of events for Maymester 2010  (Future years will follow a similar timeline.)

   1. October 23, 2009 – Curriculum Committee deadline for all new course proposals.  (Proposers wishing to teach new courses in Maymester 2010 should notify Curriculum Committee so those courses will be processed first.)

   2. November 5, 2009 – Curriculum Committee will present newly approved courses to AP to be put on the November faculty meeting agenda.

   3. November 21, 2009 – Faculty meeting – Faculty will vote on new courses.

   4. November 30, 2009 – Deadline for faculty members to submit department-approved proposals to teach in Maymester 2010 to Committee on Faculty.

   5. December 8, 2009 – Committee on Faculty will publish slate of Maymester 2010 courses.

   6. February 22 through March 5, 2010 – Pre-registration for Maymester 2010.  Students will pre-register a course, an optional alternate course, and an optional PE activity course through the Hendrix Web.  Advisors will confirm the pre-registration requests.  No bid points will be used.

   7. March 8, 2010 – Committee on Faculty will adjust Maymester 2010 schedule.  Courses with more than 15 students will have excess students removed and put into their alternate course choices, if applicable.  Courses with fewer than 3 pre-registered students will be dropped.

   8. Students may drop/add through 5:00 pm on the 1st day of Maymester.

   9. May 17 through June 4, 2010 – Maymester classes are in session.

Proposal to Teach a Course in Maymester

1. Must be submitted to Committee on Faculty by Monday, November 30

2. Department must approve course to be appropriate for compressed format

3. Department must include rationale if requesting exceptions to general guidelines

4. E-mail submission is acceptable with electronic signature

Click here for PDF form or here for Word form