Dean’s Date will no longer be the universal deadline for final papers, projects, and problem sets beginning in Spring 2025, when written assignments will begin to be staggered across the final exam period. The decision comes as a response to student concerns regarding assignment pile-up and arranging suitable travel arrangements around the holidays and breaks.
Dean’s Date is the final date all written coursework “including term papers, homework assignments, lab reports, and projects” can be submitted. The date is set by the Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing and marks the last day of reading period.
In a statement to the The Daily Princetonian, Associate Dean of Academic Advising Cecily Swanson and Senior Associate Dean of the College Anne Caswell wrote that, “The goals of the reformed schedule are to decompress final deadlines and to aid end-of-term planning by releasing final assessment dates for all courses at an earlier date that was possible before. It will eliminate the pile-up of multiple papers due on Dean’s Date that many students currently experience, and will allow students and faculty to make travel plans much further in advance.”
Dean’s Date will remain the final day of reading period and the final deadline for all work due during the instructional period.
Last academic year, a committee consisting of the Office of the Dean Of the College (ODOC) Deans, the University registrar, and administrators from the McGraw Center for Learning, was formed to address these concerns. The Faculty approved the committee’s proposed new schedule at the September meeting.
According to Srista Tripathi ’25, former chair of the USG Academics Committee, ODOC reached out to the student Academics Committee to gain student perspective on Dean’s Date. The USG Academics Committee, in collaboration with ODOC, sent out Google Forms to the student body to collect feedback on how students felt about their preparation time and coursework during finals week. Tripathi shared that during the Academics Committee’s discussions, student members noted how international students and out-of-state students face difficulties booking travel around the date, particularly around the holidays of the fall term.
The committee also discussed the issue of equity, noting a larger percentage of Dean’s Date assignments were concentrated in the humanities, while STEM departments had staggered finals. Ultimately, the change in Dean’s Date will lead to a more “equitable schedule,” Tripathi said.
This change comes as the University has made efforts to alleviate the burden of travel during reading and finals period. The University announced in February that for the Spring 2024 term, the number of exams students are allowed to take would increase from one to two per day, giving students more options regarding travel. This semester, the University announced the finals schedule a month earlier on Aug. 21 to give students more time to make suitable travel plans.
To accommodate travel concerns and assignment pile-up, ODOC stated to the ‘Prince’ that “The Registrar will publish final assessment deadlines for all courses before the start of each term.”
For now, Swanson and Caswell shared in their statement that more information on assessment deadlines is forthcoming.
“Undergraduates will receive details very soon.”
Luke Grippo is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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