Dear Members of the Kent State University Community:
As part of our Students First commitment, we are writing to announce the addition of a well-timed break in classes starting this fall. Kent State is incorporating a Fall Break into the academic calendar beginning with the 2018 Fall Semester. Classes will not be held Thursday, Oct. 11, and Friday, Oct. 12, creating a four-day intermission in the semester. The university will operate as regular business days on these days, and students will be able to remain in the residence halls and utilize their meal plans during this four-day intermission.
Why are we making this change? Fall semester covers 16 weeks, and currently, students do not have a break until 13 weeks into the term when the Thanksgiving holiday occurs. We believe this is too long for students — especially students in their first semester of university life — without an opportunity for any type of intermission. Instituting this mid-term break will allow students the opportunity for a respite from class time, allowing them time to catch up on their studies and complete any out-of-class work that may be required.
In order to implement Fall Break, the fall semester will start two weekdays earlier, with classes beginning on a Thursday. Adding class days earlier into the current fall schedule will offset the Fall Break days, thereby retaining the same number of academic days for teaching and learning as in the past.
For fall 2018, the schedule will be as follows:
- First-Year Student Move-In: Sunday, Aug. 19
- KSU Kickoff (formerly named Welcome Weekend): Monday, Aug. 20-Wednesday, Aug. 22
- Dean's Welcome and Convocation: Monday, Aug. 20
- First First-Year Experience (FYE) Class Meeting: Monday, Aug. 20
- This Is Kent State! Pep Rally and Discover Downtown: Tuesday, Aug. 21
- Freshman Day of Service: Wednesday, Aug. 22
- Blastoff: Wednesday, Aug. 22
- Classes begin: Thursday, Aug. 23
We wish you continued success this semester, and we look forward to welcoming the upcoming academic year with renewed purpose, energy and focus. Thank you for your commitment to our university community and, most importantly, the success of our students. Go Flashes!
With best regards,
Todd Diacon
Executive Vice President and Provost
Shay Little
Vice President for Student Affairs