ISD SEMESTER GUIDE
Message from the Chair
Everyone at Integrative Systems + Design (ISD) is working hard to ensure that we continue to provide you with the preeminent education and experience that you expect from ISD, the College of Engineering and the University of Michigan. The health and safety of all ISD community members—students, faculty and staff—is of the utmost importance to us and this document details the extra precautions we are taking to provide a safe and healthy learning environment this winter. As we all know, this pandemic is fast moving and ever changing, and our community will need to be patient and nimble to have a successful fall. To help you navigate this rapidly-changing landscape, we have developed the ISD Guide to Winter 2021: Special COVID-19 Edition—a special edition handbook that will have all of the key information you need to be successful this semester. This handbook is a living document, and will be continually updated with new information as it becomes available. If there is anything that you would like to see added, please see the ISD Contact Us page.
Dr. Diann Brei
Chair, Integrative Systems + Design
Family Culture
Facilities
School of Information North
Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 18, the SI-North building will be closed for the remainder of the fall semester.
Safety and Health
The health and safety of all ISD community members—students, faculty and staff—is of the utmost importance to us and this document details the extra precautions we are taking to provide a safe and healthy learning environment this fall.
COVID-19 Resources and Tips
The University of Michigan and the College of Engineering have developed a number of resources and tips to help navigate the fall semester during COVID-19.
Personal Support
At any given time, but especially during these extreme times, we all may find ourselves in need of additional support. Our U-M family has a number of resources available and we encourage you to explore them as needed.
Academic Details
Winter 2021 Academic Calendar
The academic calendar for this fall semester has been adjusted as follows:
- Monday, January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Tuesday, January 19: Winter term classes begin
- Monday, February 8: Add/Drop Deadline with assessment of registration and disenrollment fee only
- Wednesday, February 24: Well-being break (no class)
- Monday, March 1: Last day to withdraw from winter term with fifty percent tuition reduction
- Sunday, March 14: University Honors Convocation
- Tuesday, March 23: Well-being break (no class)
- Wednesday, April 21: Winter term classes end
- Thursday, April 22 and Saturday, April 24–Sunday, April 25: Study days
- Friday, April 23 and Monday, April 26–Friday, April 30: Examinations
- Thursday, April 29–Sunday, May 2: Commencement
For more details about the academic calendar, please click here.
Immersive Practice
Community Connection
Welcome to our ISD Family!
ISD is a supportive, inclusive community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. While you’re a student, we have many opportunities for you to connect with one another as well as others in our academic community. You may have already attended some of our roundtables this summer or joined our Slack channel to start talking with peers. As fall approaches, we’ll share information around more events, like the Virtual Career Fair and Northfest. In ISD, we’ll have a Program Night, where program directors will share what makes your programs unique, and more! Looking to connect with peers in smaller groups? We’ll have more information on Birds-of-a-Feather as we get closer to the start of the semester. All of these events, and many more, will be posted shared via our website and the ISD Student Center.
Wellness
In order to help support overall well-being, it is crucial for our students, faculty and staff to feel safe, supported and connected to our community. As you navigate through the new paradigm of living through these challenging times and the uncertainty that comes with it, please know that you are not alone and that we are here for you.
We have gathered the following resources and guidance that can help you to take care of yourself. We hope that this information will be a helpful tool to best deal with our newly changing world.