The adoption of a common University calendar has created a period between fall and spring semesters—December 22, 2009 through January 23, 2010 in the academic year 2009-2010—that offers many students a time to rest and recharge. For some undergraduates, it is a time to pursue activities away from campus, and for some graduate and extension school students, a time to enroll in intensive workshops on campus focused on intellectual and professional development. Looking forward, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences sees this time period as an opportunity to test creative ideas in teaching and learning that will ultimately enhance the overall student experience.

For Undergraduates

A survey of students by Harvard College reflected overwhelming satisfaction with their January experiences during Winter Break 2010.  Both the comparatively small group of students who remained in residence for a portion or all of the Winter Break period and the much larger group of students who left Cambridge reported that they enjoyed the break as it was offered in 2009-2010.

Some units of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences took advantage of this period to enhance the opportunities for memorable international experiences for our students. For example, twelve Harvard undergraduate and graduate students and sixteen Brazilian students participated in the Energy, Water and the Environment Collaborative Field Course in Brazil from January 7 to 21, 2010. The course was comprised of interactive, discussion-based lectures and a rich set of technical field site visits. This field study experience was a joint initiative of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), the Escola Politécnica of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin America Studies' (DRCLAS) Brazil Studies Program.

Following a successful 2010 Winter Break, and informed by the survey data from students, faculty and staff, Harvard College has announced its plans for Winter Break 2011. Harvard College will be closed to students from December 22, 2010 to January 15, 2011^[1] and will open eight days prior to the start of spring semester classes. Between January 16 and January 23, 2011, student-initiated and College-led programming will be offered in a new period termed Optional Winter Activities Week.  These programs will be advertised through a new online portal to encourage broad dissemination and participation in these activities.

While the majority of the programming available during the week of January 16^th – 23rd will be student-initiated, the College will also make efforts to expand programming for students both on and off campus before January 16th.  For instance, House Masters will facilitate more social gatherings in the Houses for the limited number of students required to remain on campus.  Harvard College students will also be able to participate in “January Experiences” offered by alumni/ae around the world through a partnership with the Harvard Alumni Association.  These “January Experiences” will include extended internships, job shadowing, and public service opportunities.

For Graduate Students

Taking advantage of the fact that GSAS students typically stay close to Cambridge and Longwood for most of January, the Graduate School initiated a series of intellectual and professional development opportunities for graduate students, a program known as January@GSAS.

GSAS and affiliating units — ranging broadly across Harvard’s resource centers, and including the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Graduate Student Council, the Office of Career Services, and the Harvard College Library — presented approximately 65 programs or events during the month of January that were specifically targeted at graduate students. Attendance at those events ran the gamut from 2 to 400; most offerings drew a comfortably intimate crowd of 10–15, though a good number drew into the higher double digits. From an innovative session on geographic analysis to a workshop addressing “the imposter syndrome” to a seminar on quantitative methods to a chamber music concert at Dudley House, the programs were an occasion for fellowship, skill-building, and career planning.

Among the offerings were mini-courses sponsored by the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and taught by graduate students themselves. A member of the GSAS Alumni Council offered a gift to support students who would develop short courses for fellow graduate students about their broad areas of research. The seven courses selected for this inaugural effort were fittingly varied, including The ABCs of Stem Cells; American Jewishness; Vistas in Mathematics; Cloth, Culture, and Cognition; and Why Resurrection? An Introduction to Belief in the Afterlife. Presenting aspects of one’s research to non-experts is a skill of considerable value to graduate students, and therefore these courses will be continued next year.

SEAS also hosted a range of workshops and training sessions for graduate students, and some for the broader community, on topics such as CAD design, communicating science (through talks, research proposals and grant applications), electron microscopy, Matlab, machine shop, and Teaching Fellow training.

Overall, based on a survey of participants and feedback from instructors, January@GSAS was very well received, and GSAS plans to expand its offerings for January 2011. The programming will begin a week later, following evidence from the inaugural year that many students are away from campus during the first week after break.

For Extension School Students

University calendar reform presented an opportunity for the Harvard Extension School to offer intensive courses during January.  Fifteen courses were offered including Imaging in Biology, The Bible as Literature, and Strategic Management.