2019-20 academic calendar includes extra day for winter recess

Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, and traditionally Pitt has included Christmas Eve in the winter recess for faculty and staff. Instead of having everyone show up to work for just one day that week, Pitt’s administration has approved Monday, Dec. 23 as the first day of winter break. University offices will reopen on Jan. 2, 2020.

A committee chaired by Joseph McCarthy, vice provost for undergraduate studies, works all year on the calendar. The committee creates the draft calendar and sends it to the provost for approval and then on to the chancellor for final approval.

For students, the fall term begins on Aug. 26 and ends on Dec. 14 and classes resume on Jan. 6, 2020, according to the academic calendar approved last week.

Students also will get a couple more days for Thanksgiving recess. Last fall’s break was from Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week. This fall, students will get the full week off, starting Nov. 24 and resuming classes Dec. 2. Thanksgiving recess for faculty and staff is Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28 and 29.

For those really planning ahead, spring recess for students is March 8 to 15, 2020. The spring holiday for employees is March 13. The spring term ends on April 25, with undergraduate commencement on April 26 and graduate commencement on April 23.

For the 2020-21 school year, the Thanksgiving recess will again be a week long for students. The winter recess for employees will begin on Dec. 24, 2020.

Other key dates for 2019-20 in the newly approved calendar:

Family weekend (Pittsburgh): Sept. 27-28

Homecoming (Pittsburgh): Oct. 25-27

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (University closed): Jan. 20, 2020

Honors Convocation: Feb. 28, 2020

— Susan Jones