Many universities and colleges offer some sort of education during the winter break period. This is often known as a January term, named after the month it takes place. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offered its first set of winter classes, called “Winterim” in January 1996. Winterim began as “an accelerated session of courses, Jan. 2-17,” initially offering 16 classes where students could choose one and each class would meet Monday-Friday, 8:30-11:30 a.m. [1] Provost and Vice Chancellor Kay Schallenkamp said that the program “was requested by students who wanted a greater flexibility in scheduling their courses.” She also believed that the development of such a program demonstrated “the strong cooperation between administration, faculty and students.” [2] By its third year of existence, Whitewater increased the available classes to 31; most of them were still general education classes. [3] However, it was reported in The Whitewater Register that in 1997 over 400 undergraduate students, including part-time and non-traditional, enrolled in a Winterim class.
Gregg Theune, Alumni Center, ca. 1990, UW-Madison Digital Archives, UW-Whitewater Collection, Whitewater, WI, https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/ATG3OZVCRNMRSV8C
Almost thirty years later, UW-Whitewater is still offering a Winterim session. It is a “three-week session [that] offers intensive courses allowing students to advance, keep up or catch up.” [4] The classes offered now are typically general education classes and, since 2022, the class all meet virtually.
University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Hyland Hall Through the Trees, ca. 2021, Facebook, University of… – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (facebook.com)
[1] “UW-W Announces New Winterim Session,” Whitewater Register, November 28, 1996.
[2] “UW-W Announces New Winterim Session,” Whitewater Register, November 28, 1996.
[3] “Registration open for Winterim Session,” Whitewater Register, December 3, 1998.
[4] Carina Lopez, “Dashing through winterim,” Royal Purple, December 12, 2021.