MEMORANDUM
Date: March 2, 2015
To: UW-L Senate Executive Committee
From: Meredith Thomsen, Chair of General Education Committee (with help from Christine
Bakkum, University Registrar)
Re: Requested changes to GEC by-laws
At our February 2 and 16, 2015 meetings, the GEC voted in favor of several changes to our bylaws, which are listed below. We request to SEC that these changes be forwarded on to the
Senate Articles and By-laws Committee for consideration. Please let us know if any additional
information is needed regarding the proposed changes.
1. Make the General Education Committee the oversight body for the University’s Associate
Degree curriculum.
Rationale: The UW-L Associate of Arts Degree currently lacks an official academic “home.” The
GEC has historically taken on the role of making changes to AA degree requirements and of
hearing appeals from students about those requirements. With increasing emphasis on
degree attainment, more students are seeking to earn AA degrees, making a formal oversight
body for the degree increasingly important.
At our February 2, 2015 meeting, the GEC discussed the idea of “who should oversee the
Associate Degree” at some length. Ultimately, we concluded the GEC was the best fit based
on several ideas, originally laid out by Registrar Christine Bakkum:
a. The Associate Degree curriculum closely parallels the General Education curriculum, so
GEC members are more familiar with the program requirements than those of other
possible oversight bodies, for example the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
b. The Associate Degree is open to students in all colleges so oversight by the General
Education Committee would provide consistency across colleges with regard to approval
of exceptions.
c. All colleges have consultants assigned to the General Education Committee, thus
providing historical reference and expert advice on the Associate Degree curriculum.
d. The Registrar is a consultant to the General Education Committee, thus assuring the
catalog and advisement reports are accurate in regard to the Associate Degree.
In the event that Senate Executive and/or Articles and Bylaws committee members disapprove of
the idea of GEC becoming the AA oversight body, we strongly urge that some University entity
be appointed to play this role in the near future.
UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
115 Graff Main Hall
1725 State St. | La Crosse, WI 54601 USA
phone 608.785.8487
fax 608.785.8492
www.uwlax.edu
Surround yourself with UW-La Crosse
An affirmative action/equal opportunity employer
2. Add the University Assessment Coordinator and Director of the Academic Advising Center to
the list of Consultants to the General Education Committee.
Rationale: Among other things, the list of Consultants serves for new Chairs of the GEC as a
list of people to inform about each GEC meeting. To ensure continuity with current practice,
the UAC should be listed as a Consultant. The Academic Advising Center has recently taken
on advising for students leaving the University with an Associate Degree; as mentioned
above, the GEC has historically taken on the role of making changes to the AA degree
requirements and of hearing appeals from students about those requirements. Having the
AAC Director as a Consultant would make sure they are getting information they need about
changes to the Associate Degree.
3. Create a formal role on the GEC for a member who will act as Consultant to the GEAC.
Rationale: This proposed change relates to the GEC’s Charge for the 2014-15 Academic year,
to “determine how to ensure that a member is regularly participating in the proceedings of
the General Education Assessment Committee.” At their February 27, 2015 meeting the GEAC
voted in favor of this proposal. We request that this role be structured such that the GEAC
invites this person to particular meetings, at which their presence is deemed useful by the
GEAC. Furthermore, GEAC Chair Georges Cravins rightly pointed out that our objective with
this change is to have the Consultant share with GEAC important business that is conducted
by GEC (and, I would add, vice versa). This person would not be expected to advise GEAC on
its assessment-related duties. We will be happy to work with the Articles and Bylaws
Committee, as need be, to clarify the function and purpose of the Consultant to the GEAC
position on GEC.
UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
115 Graff Main Hall
1725 State St. | La Crosse, WI 54601 USA
phone 608.785.8487
fax 608.785.8492
www.uwlax.edu
Surround yourself with UW-La Crosse
An affirmative action/equal opportunity employer