7 / March Days of Giving
4 / Sweet Briar Days
The Briar Wire Volume 12, Issue 1 | February/March 2026
Evelynn Forrest ‘27 and Kendel Wickline ‘27 enjoy the first day of the spring 12-week in Dr. Key’s class.
Sweet Briar to Adopt New Academic Calendar in 2026-2027 Sweet Briar College will be moving to a new academic calendar beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The new format will consist of fall and spring terms of approximately 14-weeks with a 3-week January Term (J-Term), which will offer three-credit classes. “College leadership continuously reflects and evaluates all aspects of academic life at Sweet Briar in efforts to enhance the student experience and provide a range of opportunities,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dean of the College, and Chief Sustainability Officer Dr. Lisa Powell. “We look forward to embracing this new calendar format with our students and faculty in the coming years.” The decision was made after years of informal discussions prior to assembling a faculty task force consisting of representatives from all areas of the curriculum. The task
force met numerous times starting last spring, inviting stakeholder input based on observations of student experience, discussions with students, and other factors in their areas, which included all academic divisions, Student Life, Athletics, Student Academic Success Center, Financial Aid, Registrar, and the College-wide calendar committee. Members of the task force also incorporated student feedback from years of course evaluations and a survey about the Women’s Leadership Core Curriculum. The new schedule has been adopted to address concerns with the 3-12-12-3 format, and will provide many new opportunities for students and faculty, such as: • More time for extended for-credit internships and other experiential learning across Winter Break and January Term
• Better alignment with partner institution programs • Symbiotic scheduling with academic conferences and equestrian programs in January • Potential lower costs for travel courses • Enhanced support for first-year students in their transition to college life The College will also be incorporating more holidays for students, faculty, and staff in the coming years. Faculty are continuing their work on the new academic calendar, including possible adjustments related to the daily/ weekly course schedule and any needed adaptations in academic requirements. More information will be shared with students as this work continues.