Dixie State College Set to Transition to Summer Four-Day Work Week

For the seventh consecutive summer, Dixie State College of Utah will transition to a four-day work schedule, operating on a 10-hour a day workweek Monday through Thursday beginning this Monday, May 4. The schedule will remain in effect during the summer months through Friday, Aug. 14. The college will resume its regular schedule on Monday, Aug. 17.
 
The majority of college employees will work Monday through Thursday, with offices open to students and the public from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. College employees will have a 30-minute break for lunch.
 
The college first experimented with the four-day summer schedule in 2003. The change in schedule has allowed the college to cut down on air conditioning and electricity costs. While variables change year to year and savings are difficult to predict, the college’s executive director of business services, Scott Talbot, estimates that in past years, the four-day workweek has saved the college nearly $40,000 in utility expenses annually.
 
The measure has coincided with a statewide push to conserve power. In recent years, the state has plugged conservation as part of the state’s PowerForward alert system, a color-coded system that encourages electricity use during the summer according to daily circumstances.

Certain buildings and departments on the DSC campus will remain open five days a week, including DSC’s Student Services department offices to assist current and future students’ needs in registration, admission, school relations/recruiting, financial aid, advisement, testing and assessment, and security. In addition, DSC’s 2009 summer semester will not be affected by the four-day workweek schedule as all Friday classes throughout term will continue as scheduled.

This year’s summer schedule consists of two five-week blocks, which begin May 18 and June 22 respectively, and an eight-week block that runs from June 1 through July 23. To register for summer courses, call 435-652-7701 or log on at www.dixie.edu/reg.