Fall 2018 Dates
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Though we bask in the Sox’ sweep of the Yankees and enjoy what’s left of the summer, I thought this a good time to send you key dates for Fall 2018 as you firm up your syllabi (or syllabuses for those of you, like me, averse to Latin plurals). You’ll be receiving other memos in the coming weeks from Assistant Deans Rachel Reiser and Karen Phillips and me with more information about policies and administrative matters. We’re trying to break what may not be the most riveting reading into digestible chunks, so do please take a moment to review these emails when they arrive.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please respond to this email or call me at 353-9106. You can also stop by my office, Room 150A, just to the left of the stairs on the first floor.
YOUR CLASS MEETING TIME AND LOCATION
I strongly encourage you to consult the University Class Schedule to review your finalized class meeting time and location. You should consult the Link (www.bu.edu/link/ – click “Faculty” and “Class Lists”). Should this not work, you may consult the general University Class Schedule (choose “FALL 2018” and “QST” – contact me with questions) to verify your location and time.
I believe we’ve got the hang of the “new” university block schedule, but I will remind you one last time of how it is different from the “old” schedule. As a reminder, the features of the new block schedule include:
- Some undergraduate courses switching to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday (50 minutes per session) offering pattern.
- Other courses that were listed on the schedule as meeting twice weekly for 90 minutes, but with an implied dismissal time 10 minutes prior, are now listed as 75 minutes with the expectation that they will meet for that entire period. To emphasize, the time listed on the class schedule is the actual meeting time!
- In most cases, there is a built-in 15 minute passing time between classes, rather than the previous (implied) 10 minutes.
- Evening courses begin at 6:30 and let out at 9:15.
- The afternoon sections of the undergraduate Cross-Functional Core will begin at 12:20 (MWF) and 12:30 (TR).
FALL 2018 – IMPORTANT DATES
Please read through this relevant calendar information including Registrar’s Office semester dates and class meeting dates by course meeting pattern.
While I encourage you to review the links listed above for the important information they contain, here is a quick overview:
Standard calendar
September 4: Classes begin
October 8: Holiday
October 9: Substitute Monday schedule
November 21-25: Thanksgiving Recess
December 12: Last day of class
December 17-21: Final exams
MBA-specific dates
Mod 1: September 4-October 24
Mod 2: October 29-December 13
Concentrated Core Session 1: Monday (September 11-October 23), Thursday (September 7-October 19)
Concentrated Core Session 2: Monday (October 30-December 11), Thursday (October 26-December 14)
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
The following is a list of religious holidays from the Marsh Chapel website:
September 10-11: Rosh Hashanah
September 19: Yom Kippur
November 7: Diwali
A full multi-faith list of holidays may be found here.
The following notes, including a link to the University’s Policy on Religious Observance, is also provided on the Marsh Chapel website:
Weekly observances vary (i.e. Friday/Saturday for Judaism; Sunday for Christianity; Friday for Islam). The Jewish Sabbath and Holy days begin at sundown. Passover is not a synagogue-based holiday, but a home-based holiday (hence the significance of home and travel time). The intent of the University Policy on Religious Observance is that the student need not face a conflict or choice between academic performance and religious observance. These dates and notes were assembled by the University Chaplains, meeting with the Dean of the Chapel. Dean Hill is happy to speak directly with faculty, staff, students and others, as the need arises.
If you are facing any tricky situations regarding student absence and religious observance, I encourage you to contact Dean Reiser in the UDC or Dean Phillips in the Grad Center.
I wish you a happy conclusion to your summer and a wonderful fall semester!
Director – Course Planning
Boston University Questrom School of Business
Rafik B. Hariri Building
595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
