Summer Quarter Report
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General Issues
Other Institutions' Experiences
Research
Strategic Studies
Comparative Data: Current Nature of UW Summer
Quarter
Funding History
Other Summer Models
Summary
The committee first arrived at an understanding of what is meant by describing the present Summer Quarter as a "self-sustaining" program. The twelve-month funding for student services of the University, including registration, Computing and Communications, Libraries and the annual budgets of the various schools and colleges support the summer academic activity. Moreover the basic University infrastructure, electricity, security, personnel, payroll, etc., are also provided by UW annual budgets. Thus, the Summer Quarter instructional budget, funded by tuition, is the only truly self-sustaining part of the Summer Session. It is worth acknowledging, though, that nonresident tuition is not charged during the Summer Session now. Thus, the state's contribution to this instructional period is not offset by the increased tuition revenue from nonresidents as it is during the traditional academic year.
Earlier, the California State University (CSU) System launched year-round operations at four campuses with additional operating funds and additional planning money from the legislature. The CSU lost funding in 1968, but local resources were allocated to sustain the year-round programs at Hayward, Pomona, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles campus locations. These programs remain smaller than academic terms as a result of student demand.
In 1992, the CSU revisited the question of year-round operations, and in 1994, the UC System also reviewed the idea. Their reports focus primarily on four inter-related areas: use of capital facilities; time to degree; access or enrollment growth; and use of faculty resources. Both systems reached similar conclusions: low student demand in the summer, which created uncertain capital savings, and the need for substantial new state-funding for capital and faculty argued against year-round operations. The reports suggested that institutional and system goals were more likely to be realized by increasing enrollments in the existing self-supporting summer programs.
The issue of year-round operation continues to be a topic of interest as evidenced by a 1996 publication of The California Higher Education Policy Center entitled, Shared Responsibilities (Appendix 4). Year-round operation has been identified as one of the eleven strategies to enhance quality and opportunity in California higher education and state funding is recommended. Enhanced participation of students in an expanded and equivalent Summer Quarter is identified in this report as the single factor that could contribute most to enhancing the capacity for student participation in the academic year. While this possibility is identified, the committee, as well as other institution's experiences, indicate that a wholesale conversion at present simply would not succeed in attracting the potential number of students afforded by the capacity. The committee does, though, believe that the eventual conversion to a full Summer Quarter is a very good and appropriate strategy for increasing student access to the University.
In a 1996 Western Washington University research document (Appendix 5) produced by that institution's Office of Institutional Assessment and Testing, an effort was made to determine student demand for Summer Session. WWU enrolled 10,192 in Winter of 1996; Summer 1996 was estimated to be 2,500, or 25% of Winter. Students surveyed (1759) indicated that they would be more likely to attend summer if a full curriculum was available in their major field, if tuition was the same as during the academic-year, if financial aid/work study was available, and if summer courses were included in the annual timetable. The study optimistically estimates a potential increase of 51% beyond the 1995 enrollment based on Western Washington University's ability to meet the conditions identified by students as incentives to attend the summer (see above). The projected increased participation in the WWU summer would raise the total to 3,815, or 37% of the winter term.
A comparison of the enrollment numbers and student credit hours of continuing or returning UW students in the Summer Quarter compared to the following Autumn Quarter, 1996, reveals the following data:
Table 1: Enrollment Number Comparisons
| Student % | Summer, 1996 | Autumn, 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 59.5% | 69.6% |
| Nonmatriculated | 7.8% | 4.1% |
| Graduate and Professional | 32.6% | 26.4% |
| Student % | Summer, 1996 | Autumn, 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 67.0% | 75.3% |
| Nonmatriculated | 6.3% | 1.7% |
| Graduate and Professional | 26.7% | 23.0% |
During the more recent Summer Quarter, then, there were somewhat more undergraduates and fewer graduates participating than during the adjacent Autumn Quarter. The percent of nonmatriculated students participating also was greater during Summer than during Autumn.
Ohio State University (academic year enrollment of 54,000; summer enrollment of 15,000) decentralized its Summer Session about five years ago and distributed the resources to the colleges and schools. Most deans have used these funds to accommodate a series of general university budget reductions. The result was a greatly reduced number of courses and enrollments in the summer. In 1994, the provost elected to subsidize centrally certain courses on a per/seat formula to increase summer enrollments. Faculty may elect to teach any three of four terms (very few have opted to teach in summer) and they may negotiate the fourth term as individuals with the chairs. Salaries are typically a flat fee of $3,000-$4,000 per course. As a result, most teaching in the summer is done by junior faculty and teaching assistants. Large enrollment courses with low instructional costs dominate the summer offerings.
Dartmouth College's academic policy requires students to attend year-round, but students may elect to be on leave one of the four terms. Emphasis is placed on service learning and internships for students. The total enrollment at Dartmouth is approximately 4,000, and in the Fall of 1996, 3,350 students were expected to be enrolled. Around 650 students would be on leave that term. Summer is the smallest of the four terms with enrollments of around 1,000. Faculty receive excess compensation for teaching in the summer.
Summer Quarter Report
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