January 13, 2021
Dear Students,
I hope this letter finds you well as we prepare to begin the spring semester. I am confident that your broad efforts to protect the well-being of your OU community last fall will sustain us through the next few months, as hope builds on the horizon. Thank you for exercising compassion, patience, and responsibility during these unusual times.
We write to provide guidance on the spring 2021 academic calendar for OU Norman campus programs, which includes Norman campus programs offered on the OU-Tulsa campus. For OU Norman campus programs, two instructional holidays have been slated for the spring 2021 semester: Friday, March 5, and Tuesday, April 6. This decision has been made in consultation with students and faculty, as adjustments to the academic calendar have been needed in response to COVID-19.
As a reminder, the Norman campus, including Norman campus programs in Tulsa, previously announced the decision to extend winter break by one week, with classes beginning Monday, January 25. The Norman campus will not offer a traditional Spring Break in 2021. With these changes, we remain on track to end the spring semester as planned on Friday, May 14. The complete academic calendar for the spring 2021 for Norman campus programs is available here.
Compressed Format Courses: Only the compressed format courses scheduled for Friday will meet on Friday, March 5. All classes on the Norman campus will meet Thursday, March 4, and Monday, March 8. Similarly, all classes on the Norman campus will meet Monday, April 5, and Wednesday, April 7.
Classes at the Health Sciences Center: OU Norman students whose classes are offered through the Health Sciences Center are to adhere to the HSC academic calendar, in which most classes begin no later than Tuesday, January 19. The HSC campus is observing Spring Break from March 13-21 and is not observing instructional holidays on March 5 and April 6. Norman campus students who are enrolled in HSC courses must adhere to the HSC schedule on March 5 and April 6.
The OU Norman campus is also extending the student attendance policy adopted in fall 2020 to apply to the spring 2021 semester. It is important that our actions and decisions continue to support community health, and this attendance policy ensures that students are not penalized due to absence from class. Instructors have been directed to work with students who are unable to attend class.
Again, thank you for your patience and diligence. We are excited that you will continue your education with us.
Warm wishes,
Jill Irvine, PhD
Senior Vice President & Provost (Interim)
Presidential Professor, International and Area Studies
Affiliate Faculty, Women’s and Gender Studies
University of Oklahoma
(405) 325-3221
