1. President Saigo Time Certain: 8:30

2. Beverly Stadum, Kathryn Kelly, Steve Klepetar, Brenda Wentworth, Karen Thoms

Time Certain: 10:00

3. White Paper and Discussion: Review and improvement general education and core --

Roland and John

4. Revisit White Paper on Graduate Program Development and Growth — Dennis and John

5. Low Enrollment Graduate Programs (discuss handout from Oct 17^th meeting)

6. Refocusing Resources

7. Graduate Assistant Stipend — Dennis

8. Mitch Rubinstein Visit — Lin

9. Personal Disclosure: Ali and Dick

General Education Requirements (source: http://condor.stcloudstate.edu/~bulletin/ugb/gened.html)

The general education program is the liberal arts part of your degree. This distinguishes a college degree from a career training program. It encourages broad educational experiences, and provides the opportunity for students to explore their interests. Equaling about one-third of the total credits required for the baccalaureate degree, it provides for thedevelopment of transferable skills which apply to all career choices. Skills emphasized include communication, research methods, critical thinking and analyzing and synthesizing information.

Students should expect their general education program to:

1.Contribute to their competency in university-level academic skills;

2.Provide for exploration of subjects outside a student's major and minor and demonstrate

3.Develop and extend their capacity for inquiry and critical judgment.

4.Promote their involvement in the examination of human values.

5.Afford a realistic appreciation of the lives of people from cultures and situations other than

their own.

General education courses are offered at all levels of the undergraduate experience, including the junior and senior years. All students are encouraged to work closely with their academic adviser to select the most appropriate general education program and to assure that the basic requirements have been met.

General education guidelines

SCSU Semester-based General Education Program

I.Core (16 semester credits)

CORE 1: ENGL 191

Introduction to Rhetorical and Analytical Writing (4 credits)

CORE 2: SPC 192

Introduction to Speech Communication (3 credits)

CORE 3: MATH/ STAT 193

Mathematical/Statistical Thinking (3 credits)

(Applies only to new students entering as of Fall 1998 and beyond)

CORE 4: PHIL 194

Critical Reasoning (3 credits)

CORE 5: Democratic Citizenship

See Academic Affairs for approved list of courses

II.Distribution (minimum of 24 semester credits)

Intwoareas,takeninecredits,atleastsixcreditsfromdepartmentsintheleft-handcolumnandnomorethan

fourcreditsfromdepartmentsintheright-handcolumn.Allninemaycomefromdepartmentsintheleft-hand

column.Nomorethan4creditsmaybetakenfromanydepartment.Note:Somemajorsrequirespecific

generaleducationcourses.Checktherequirementofyourintendedmajorbeforeselectingcourses.

Inonearea,takesixcredits,allfromdepartmentsintheleft-handcolumn.This"short"areamustbeapproved

byyouradviser.Nomorethan4creditsmaybetakenfromanydepartment.

NOTE: MGM courses are in bold.

AREA A: HUMANITIES AND FINE ARTS

Choose 6-9 credits from the following:

American Studies: 101, 102, 222, 302, 490

Art: 130, 131

English: 184, 201, 202, 203, 215, 216

Foreign Language: (may count two courses in

sequence for general education credit) 101, 102, 201,

202; FREN 101, 102, 110, 201, 202; GER 101, 102,

110, 201, 202; JPN 101, 102; RUSS 101, 102, 201,

202; SPAN 101, 102, 201, 202

Music: MUSM 100, 101, 111, 123, 125, 126, MUSP

101, 102, 103, Private Lessons: 110-410, 112-412,

114-414, 116-416, 118-418, 120-420, 122-422,

124-424, 126-426, 128-428, 130-430, 132-432,

134-434, 138-438, 140-440, 142-442, 144-444,

146-446, 148-448; Ensembles: 151-164, 258, 360

Philosophy: 111, 112, 113, 114, 115

Speech Communication: 212, 221, 241, 322, 332

Theatre and Film Studies: 140, 148, 175, 260, 270

No more than 4 credits from the following:

Communication Disorders: 130, 171, 220

Information Media: 104, 204, 260

Mass Communication: 146, 220, 273, 274, 275

Reading: 120

Religious Studies: 100

AREA B: NATURAL SCIENCES

Choose 6-9 credits from the following:

Include one laboratory course (indicated with *)

Biological Sciences: 101, 102*, 103*, 104, 105,

106

Chemistry: 101, 140*, 207*, 210*

Computer Science: 169

Earth Science: 104*, 105*, 106, 109*

Microcomputer Studies: 169

Physics/Astronomy: PHYS 101, 103*, 208; ASTR

106*, 107, 120

No more than 4 credits from the following:

Aviation: 101, 107, 207

Electrical Engineering: 101, 102

Environmental & Technological Studies:

182, 183, 186, 260, 285

Manufacturing Engineering: 101

Mathematics: 105, 211

AREA C: SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Choose 6-9 credits from the following:

Anthropology: 150, 159, 198, 240

Applied Psychology: 101, 384

Area Studies: (AFST 250; CS 201; EAST 363, 364;

LAST 250, 350; SOV 100)

Economics: 201, 205, 206, 350, 381

Geography: 101, 111, 273, 275, 372

History: 101, 105, 106, 140, 141, 150, 210, 211

Political Science: 101, 111, 251, 337

Psychology: 115, 225, 240, 325

Sociology: 111, 160, 268, 277

Social Science: 104, 204, 301, 460, 470

No more than 4 credits from the following:

Child and Family Studies: 220, 260

Criminal Justice Studies: 100, 101, 111

Education: 250, 374

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate: 201

Health, Phy Ed, Recreation and Sport

Science: 125, 190, 393

Human Relations: 101, 201, 206

Local and Urban Affairs: 200

Marketing and General Business: 100, 200,

230

Management: 260, 261

Minority Studies: 201, 205, 210, 350

Social Work: 211

Special Education: 403

Women's Studies: 201

MULTICULTURAL, GENDER AND MINORITY STUDIES (MGM) COURSES

AFST 250

AMST 222

ANTH 150, 159, 240

ART 131

AVIT 107

ASTR 120

BIOL 106

CFS 260

CJS 111

COMM 146, 275

ECON 350

ED 250, 374

ENGL 203, 215, 216

ETS 193

GEOG 101, 111

HIST 106

HURL 101, 201, 206

IM 204

JPN 101, 102

LAST 250, 350

MINS 201, 205, 210, 350

MUSM 125

PHIL 111, 112

POL 337

PSY 225

REL 100

SOC 111, 268

SOV 100

SPC 332

SPED 403

SW 211

WS 201

Double Counting: A student may count a course for credit in the general education program and in the major if the course is a requirement for that major. The credits count only once towards graduation.

Waivers: If a student takes six credits in a department which are not general education courses, the student may waive three credits of general education in that same department. In foreign languages, nine credits may waive six. This does not reduce the total credits required for graduation.

Check with the individual department. Not all departments allow waivers and double

counting.

III.University Requirements

Multicultural, Gender and Minority Studies. Each student must complete three courses designated

MGM. Students may take no more than 1 course from any one department in the completion of their MGM

designated courses. See below for a list of currently approved courses.

Students transferring less than 20 general education credits will be required to complete 9 MGM credits.

Students transferring 20-29 general education credits will be required to complete 6 MGM credits. Students

transferring 30-39 general education credits will be required to complete 3 MGM credits. Students transferring 40 or more general education credits will be required to complete no MGM credits.

Physical Education. Each student must complete a 1 credit course in wellness and fitness (PESS 122). See

the description in the Bulletin or contact the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sport Science, HaH 227, 255-2155.

Note: Applies to students who have not completed the P.E. requirement under the quarter system.

Upper Division Writing: Each student must complete one course designated as writing intensive within the

major at the 300-400 level. See individual departments for a list of courses approved in each major. NOTE:

Applies only to new students entering in or after Fall Semester 1998.

Exceptions. Limited exceptions to the general education program requirements may be approved whenever it can be determined that the program objectives would be better achieved through an alternate selection of

courses. Petition forms are available from the Office of Academic Affairs. A copy of the student's general

worksheet or major application form must be submitted with all petitions and special request forms. In

addition, a graduation application review analysis form is required if the request relates to graduation.

Competencies

Competency in writing skills may be demonstrated through an examination program provided by

the English department. The English 191 test-out program administered by the Department of English

waives the requirement but does not grant credit. The test-out examinations are offered several times a

year without charge. Information about test dates and advance sign up is available at the Department of

English.

Competency in speech communication skills may be certified by a speech communication faculty

evaluation of a 36-week or longer speech course(s) completed in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grades in high

school, or extensive out-of- class experience and training prior to college. Students interested in

demonstrating competency should contact the Department of Speech Communication.

Competency in mathematical or statistical thinking will be certified by the Department of

Mathematics or Statistics.

Competency in critical reasoning will be certified by the Department of Philosophy.

Competency in Democratic Citizenship will be certified by the College of Social Science.

Students interested in demonstrating competency in any of these areas should contact the respective

department. Students demonstrating competency will be exempt from that part of the requirement.

This does not alter the total number of credits required.

Transfer students. Students who transfer with an Associate of Arts degree have satisfied the general

education requirements. Completion of another institution's Minnesota Transfer curriculum

requirements will also satisfy the general education requirements. Associate of Science and Associate

of Applied Science degrees do not meet the general education requirements, though individual courses

will be evaluated to determine if they meet general education requirements.

Copyright © 2000

Created February 1998

Last Revision: January 12, 2000

URL: http://www.stcloudstate.edu/~bulletin/ugb/gened.html

Dr. Andrew Larkin

General Education at SCSU, recent chronology

I.Accreditation

1.In Spring 1986, after an accreditation visit, NCA stated that the

General Education program at SCSU lacked "coherence" and observed that the

program seemed to focus on the convenience of departments rather than the

education of the students.

2.President Connaughton of the Faculty Association and Academic Vice

President Weber agreed to set up an assessment task force to make

recommendations about assessment at the university level, including general

education.Working in 1987-8, the task force developed a proposal for

institution-wide assessment, covering all the major areas of university

operations.The recommendation was accepted by the FA but not funded by

the administration.In 1989-90, faced with the requirement for a five year

report from NCA indicating improvement, along with a focused visit, VP

Davis and FA President Andrzjewski agreed to resurrect the assessment task

force, chaired by Phil Keith, to address general education.The task force

prepared a revision of the original recommendations (the pink book), in

particular developing the proposal of a general education assessment based

on the development of general education assessment objectives and criteria

based upon the program course approval criteria for general education,

redescription of all general education courses based on these criteria,

student survey of general education courses, and revalidation of general

education courses.To oversee revalidation, the General Education

Assessment Committee was established.This committee, however, was

terminated after one year and its responsibilities assigned to the general

education committee in 1994.The General Education Committee was expanded

to include Assessment Committee members.Then the GEC was assigned

responsibility for the semester conversion of the general education

program, making use of results from the assessment to date, especially

results of the student survey.As part of the redefinition process, the

general education committee developed a new survey based on the revised

criteria.

3. The five general education criteria and the new semester proposal were

shown to provide coherence to the General Education program, and at the

next NCA visit in 1996, General Education was among the many programs that

provided SCSU with a ten-year accreditation.

II.Semester Conversion

1.In the Fall of 1995, after a Legislative mandate that SCSU convert to

semesters, Asst. Vice President Lin Holder submitted a proposal to the

General Education Committee, requesting a core of five courses (writing,

speech, philosophy, mathematics, and society) and a distribution.The GEC

spent the next few months working on this model, and submitted a new

program following that model to the Faculty Senate on April 25, 1996.

2.After a few rejections by the Office of Academic Affairs and some

revisions, a new General Education program was ready for implementation

beginning with semesters in the Fall of 1998.(Core 5 Democratic

Citizenship was not fully approved until Fall 1999).

3.Under the old program, there was a sort of core where students took

four required courses in COFAH -- two in composition and one each in Speech

and Philosophy.Now they take three courses from COFAH.In Social

Sciences, the students were required to take a specific course, usually

SSCI 104; now they are required to take Democratic Citizenship -- spread

over six departments.In other words, the only new requirement in the core

is the math requirement, whose burden falls upon Science and Engineering.

4.With semester conversion, General Education was decreased from 70

quarter credits to 40 semester credits -- with numerous waivers, double

counting, and exemptions -- all to add flexibility while trying to maintain

educational standards. The core was formalized to help give coherence to

the General Education program.Distribution was reduced -- from twelve

courses to eight.(If students take a third fewer distribution courses,

then faculty will be teaching a third fewer of these, and the average

department is then getting credit for one-third fewer FTEs.This would

have greatest impact on those departments that offer the most general

education FTEs in distribution areas.)

5.Other factors have changed under semesters:

a.Student credits declined from 192 quarter credits to 120 semester

credits or from 48 courses to 40 courses, a decline of 16.7 percent in

courses (the courses are longer by 12.5 percent).

b.Faculty maximum load declined from nine courses per year to eight, a

decline of 11 percent in courses (the courses are longer by 12.5 percent).

c.General education declined from 17 courses to 13 courses, a drop of

23.5 percent (not including Physical Education in either program).

d.Student enrollment behavior may have changed ˆ from approximately

twelve quarter credits to less than twelve semester credits.

6.We have about 75 percent freshman retention -- which means that 25

percent of our freshmen do not return.If we attempt to teach all core

courses to all freshmen, then 25 percent of our work disappears.Faculty

prefer, for pedagogical reasons, that not all students in their classes be

freshmen, say only half freshmen.One might argue that we still need the

equivalent number of seats for all our freshmen since if they don't take

the course their first year, they must take it later anyway.But with 25

percent not returning, we only have to teach it to those students who

transfer in without the particular course.

7.What the General Education Committee keeps asking is: What would be

best for our students?Our decisions are not driven by staffing; during

the semester conversion all faculty and staff were provided the opportunity

several times to scrutinize the new General Education program and to point

out such defects as inadequate staffing.Faculty and administration chose

the new program with its reductions in student requirements, perhaps hoping

that the new program would release staffing from Gen Ed to other programs

since students would not have to take as much Gen Ed.

DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT

[this draft has been developed by Brenda Wentworth and is currently under

consideration by the Gen Ed Committee.]

General Education Criteria

Students should expect their general education program to:

1. Contribute to their competency in university-level academic skills;

2. Provide for exploration of subjects outside a student's major and minor

and demonstrate the interrelatedness of traditional disciplines;

3. Develop and extend their capacity for inquiry and critical judgment;

4. Promote their involvement in the examination of human values;

5. Afford a realistic appreciation of the lives of people from cultures and

situations other than their own.

General Education Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will show they are competent at an undergraduate level in

university academic skills, such as, written and oral communication,

research methods, critical thinking, analyzing and synthesizing

information, etc.

2. Students will explore subjects outside their majors and minors and will

relate those subjects to traditional disciplines as well as their majors

and minors.

3. Students will use inquiry and critical judgment to make decisions.

4. Students will examine human values.

5. Students will appreciate the lives of people from cultures and

situations other than their own.

END DRAFT

GENERAL EDUCATION APPROVAL AND REVALIDATION CRITERIA

[Approved by Faculty Senate, April 25, 1995 and October 24, 1995]

For approval and revalidation, a general education course must meet three

of the following criteria:

1.The course provides an opportunity for the student to develop

competence in basic academic skills:writing; oral expression; effective

reading, listening, and/or visual thinking; critical/strategic reading,

listening, and/or visual thinking; computer literacy; information research

skills; laboratory skills; and quantitative/formal thinking.

2.The course develops the student's capacity to interrelate different

disciplines.

3.The course develops and extends the student's capacity for critical

thinking:inquiry, analysis, and judgment.

4.The course promotes the student's involvement in the examination of

human values.

5.The course affords the student a realistic appreciation of the lives of

people from cultures and situations other than those of the student.

CORE ASSESSMENT TASK FORCE

FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO

GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

The CORE Assessment Task Force met Saturday, 2 October 1999 to finalize

discussions on assessing the CORE as a program.The CORE is an integral

part of General Education and can't separate from General Education. The

CORE is defined by students learning and communicating within a learning

community.This might take students two to three years to understand.One

reason it exists is to help students with the transitions: how to do

scholarship, how to learn, etc.The CORE is broad based.

Coherence, connectedness, competency, and commonality were all discussed in

Task Force meetings last year.We were seeking a common educational

experience for students by providing connections across CORE areas.One

goal of the General Education program is to help students integrate

knowledge from different disciplines.We see this as a key component of

the CORE as well.

Therefore, we recommend the following Student Learning Goals for the CORE:

· Students will integrate principles, themes, and skills from the different

CORE areas.

· Students will identify and analyze problems in various contexts and

design solutions.

· Students will learn to learn by employing various methods to obtain,

classify, analyze, and apply knowledge.

· Students will communicate their learning through various methods.

· Students will recognize the value of learning for its own sake.

The Task Force has not numbered these goals because we believe all are

equally important and all CORE courses should try to meet all student

learning goals.

The CORE Assessment Task Force further recommends: GECC set up a General

Education Assessment Committee who would report to GECC.A representative

from GECC should be on the General Education Assessment Committee.The

Task Force also recommends that no qualification exist that the committee

be made up of faculty who teach General Education courses.This committee

would assess General Education because it is the belief of the Task Force

that you can't separate General Education from CORE.CORE is a part of

General Education.

It is recommended that CORE coordinators communicate with the General

Education Assessment Committee, but not be members of the General Education

Assessment Committee.The General Education Assessment Committee will

assess General Education courses and CORE courses.

Suggested charges to the General Education Assessment Committee:

· Assess CORE goals

· Develop and assess general education goals

· Describe indicators of goal achievement

· Support faculty in ongoing assessment of general education and CORE

Suggestions for General Education assessment:

· Multiple methods, possibly to include a portfolio assessment with artifacts from all CORE areas

· Surveys

· Pre- and post assessment indicators

· In order to assess, it is necessary to have access to some student data, for example, student ACT

scores, high school rankings, etc.

· It is important to continue ongoing conversation about the CORE.

· Perhaps a CORE newsletter would be appropriate?

· Perhaps the General Education Assessment Committee might electronically publish minutes?

· Perhaps there might be a Faculty Forum on CORE?

· Perhaps a CORE symposium could be organized?

These suggestions are a way of continuing faculty discussions about CORE

and General Education issues.

Respectfully submitted,

Brenda Wentworth, Director of Assessment Cathy Wick, Mathematics

Mary Richardson, Statistics Lee Simpson, History

Phil Keith, English Rex Veeder, English

Carolyn Hartz, Philosophy Paula Tompkins, Speech Comm.

In collaboration with faculty of the CoFAH, Dr. Andrew Vorder Bruegge has established following list of concerns about the core as applied today:

1. How do we know that seat time in the various core courses equates with core

competencies?

2. What values does the core affirm?

3. What values do we want the core to affirm?

4. Is the core as it is currently structured more or less important to SCSU than:

accreditation of major programs?

graduation rates?

attrition rates?

excellence and opportunity?

the courses of the general education distribution areas?

5. Is the core as it is currently implemented more or less important to SCSU than:

accreditation of major programs?

graduation rates?

attrition rates?

excellence and opportunity?

the courses of the general education distribution areas?

6. What is the pedagogical basis for advising students to complete all the core

courses in the first year of study?

7. What enrollment management need is satisfied by advising students to complete

all the core courses in the first year of study?

8. What enrollment management arise by advising students to complete all the core

courses in the first year of study?

9.. Do we want students to complete the core before they begin any part of a major?

10. Do we want students to complete the gen ed curriculum before they begin any part

of a major?

11. Do we want to develop a formal "first-year experience" for SCSU students that:

incorporates all the core?

incorporates some of the core?

incorporates none of the core?

incorporates co-curricular curriculum?

incorporates extra-curricular activities?