Capital City Campus in Pierre and South Dakota’s six public universities will end fall semester classroom instruction by Thanksgiving, rather than going into December.
The South Dakota Board of Regents says all campuses will begin instruction Aug. 19, which is three days earlier than originally scheduled. Instead of returning to campus after the Thanksgiving recess (Nov. 25-29), students will complete their final exams remotely.
To provide for required instructional time in a condensed semester and to further reduce travel, three holidays—Labor Day, Native American Day and Veterans Day—will become class days. With classes in session on those dates, universities will plan programming to appropriately recognize the holidays. Employees will be given time off in lieu of these holidays later in the year.
After the Thanksgiving holiday, students have two non-class days available as they prepare for final exams Dec. 2-8. All university campuses plan to be closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day to facilitate deep cleaning and other preparations for the spring semester.
Regents President John W. Bastian says the goal is to maintain the academic calendar while being mindful of public health. He says university presidents recommended the adjustment to reduce student travel to and from campus.
