For many, 8 a.m. classes are a slog. At Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., they can be a slog in 10-degree weather. For now. Next fall, students there will wake to find 8 a.m. classes replaced by a free “common hour” intended to increase participation in recently instituted shared governance initiatives at the university. Ridding the university of early-morning classes that are despised by many (though not all) students and professors is actually a side effect, officials said, of an attempt to find a time during the day when more people would be able to attend University Senate and various issue-specific committee meetings. “We see this as a beneficial side effect,” said the university’s provost, David Finley. “Many college students aren’t at their best at that hour.”

February 17, 2016 ・ From Inside Higher Ed