General Education Committee Minutes, 1/27/11
Members present: J. DeBoer, E. Adams, J. Edwards, J. Luckowski, D. Reisenfeld, D. Sloan, T.
Thibeau, N. White
Members absent: A. Lawson, J. Rabinovitch, E. Johnson, A. Walker-Andrews
The minutes from 12/9/10 were approved.
Communication:

Professor Rabinovitch has a conflict with the current meeting time. Schedules were
collected in hopes of indentifying an alternative meeting time. The committee will meet
every other week.
Business Items:

The Committee discussed the pending general education forms.
o MCLG 305- department will resubmit next year.
o NAS 202, Oral and Written Traditions- approved for Group V: Literary and
Artistic.
o HC 122, Ways of Knowing II- approved for Group IX: American & European.

The revised General Education Subcommittee Responsibilities procedure was amended
slightly and approved (below).

Sample forms were discussed. Several forms were previously identified for Ethics
(MUS 139L, HHP 492, and RSCN /EVST 295 Resource Conservation Ethics). Ideally
there should be a sample for each group.
The committee also suggested a sample mock-up form be created that identifies
common errors and includes clear instructions and tips for correctly completing the
form. Items should include:
1) Make sure goals and criteria are cut and pasted from the group. Each goal and
criteria should be addressed separately on the form.
2) The content of the syllabus should support the goals/ criteria. These should
be organized to match.
3) Appropriate justification should be given for requesting the consideration.
One acceptable justification for an upper-division general education course is
that the course is foundational in area but advanced in content.
4) The syllabus should match the learning goals and criteria. Make sure the
syllabus includes a reading list.
5) The description of the course should be thorough and be consistent with
the syllabus.
Professor White will draft a mock-up form for the committee to review.

A renewal section should be added to the form for clarity (draft below).
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Description of change
Change
Remove

Several items were postponed so that they may be discussed with the Associate Provost
Walker- Andrews and Registrar Johnson.
o Value Rubrics – Essential Leaning Outcomes / Assessment – next step
o Accreditation core themes
o “Big Questions” Pilot
o Guidelines for counting credits

Executive Director Sharon O’hare will be invited to the next meeting once the schedule
has been established to explain the process of pre-registration of undeclared students.
One faculty member is dealing with an unhappy family whose student was advised to
take a comp course, but received AP credit. Apparently the AP credit was not yet
formalized when the student was advised.
The meeting was adjourned.
Procedures
Procedure Number:
Procedure:
202.4.1
General Education Subcommittee Responsibilities
Date Adopted:
1/27/11
Last Revision:
1/27/11
References:
Learning
Approved by:
General Education Framework, General Education Course Criteria and
Outcomes
ASCRC and General Education Commitee
Subcommittee Membership
General Education Curriculum Subcommittees are organized according to Groups II to XI, thus
constituting ten (10) subcommittees.
Group II: Mathematics
Group III: Modern and Classical Languages or Symbolic Systems
Group IV: Expressive Arts
Group V: Literary and Artistic Studies
Group VI: Historical and Cultural Studies
Group VII: Social Sciences
Group VIII: Ethics and Human Values
Group IX: American and European Perspectives
Group X: Indigenous and Global Perspectives
Group XI: Natural Sciences
The General Education Committee chair appoints Subcommittee chairs for each of the ten Groups.
The Subcommittee chair should be from an academic unit or have expertise appropriate to the
particular Subcommittee Group. When possible, the Subcommittee chair is a member of the General
Education Committee; when not possible, the General Education Committee chair requests a
volunteer from former members of the General Education Committee. Each Subcommittee chair
selects 2-5 faculty members with expertise in the particular Group to serve as Subcommittee
members.
Review Assignments / Instructions
The Subcommittee chair determines the schedule for completion of the review during the Fall
semester and whether the Subcommittee meets face-to-face, online, or by some combination. The
General Education Committee expects at least three members of the Subcommittee to review each
proposal.
The Subcommittee chair assures that each member is provided with the Group criteria and
outcomes, access to relevant curriculum policies, and proposals to be reviewed.
Subcommittee Responsibilities for Review of Course Proposals
Subcommittees are responsible for the review of General Education courses proposed within their
Group. Proposals are evaluated according to the applicable criteria and outcomes. The
Subcommittee ensures that the forms submitted are complete (including course syllabi), determines
whether courses meet the Group’s criteria and outcomes, and concurs on strong and weak points of
proposals. Subcommittee chairs communicate with the unit chair/director and/or requestor about
questions, concerns, and revisions relevant to proposals.
It is the responsibility of the Subcommittee Chair to:
1. Verify that the summary of proposals is complete.
2. Ensure curriculum proposal forms are completed correctly.
3. Highlight revisions to proposals in red.
4. Identify significant difficulties or implications concerning a proposal, especially
unintended consequences for other units.
5. Check proposals for justification with respect to curricular needs of General
Education.
6. Communicate with unit chair/director/and/or requestor about questions, concerns,
and revisions.
7. Report back to units when a proposal is denied by the Subcommittee.
8. Require new forms for proposals in need of major revisions.
9. Verify the accuracy of a summary consent agenda for ASCRC.
10. Return proposals to Faculty Senate Administrative Associate.