January Mini-Semester Confirmed

During the December 2016 meeting of the Columbus State University Faculty Senate, a “motion [to begin a new mini-mester] was passed 11-5,” according to Kimberly Shaw, Executive Officer of the Faculty Senate. This motion will give students the opportunity to participate in a three-week term that will begin after winter break, but before the spring semester begins. More specifically, the classes will fall between January 2 and January 22. CSU is hoping this will cut the costs of classes, saving students money and allowing them to communicate more directly with professors.

The new program will open more study abroad opportunities in the southern hemisphere. Tina Butcher, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) liaison, advises students to begin looking for the classes available in “Janmester” after the Fall 2017 classes begin. The committee will be “carefully [selecting] courses that departments have determined can be taught in a three-week session,” said Butcher. Not all of the courses at CSU can be taught within a three-week time frame.

Janmester classes will be “considered part of the spring semester,” said Butcher. They will be grouped together with classes taken in the spring, leaving students paying for two sets of classes at once, for the price of one.

Similar to Maymester, the Janmester will provide students with another opportunity to earn their degree sooner. Classes will be selected appropriately, to serve the students the best education they can receive in a shorter amount of time.