General Education Committee Minutes, 10/7/10
Members present: E. Adams, J. DeBoer, J. Luckowski, J. Rabinovitch, D. Sloan, T. Thibeau, N.
White
Members absent: A. Lawson, J. Edwards, D. Reisenfeld
Ex-Officio Present: B. Holzworth (for E. Johnson)
The minutes from 9/22/10 were approved.
Communication:

There were 29 general education forms submitted for review in the following areas:
III. Language
IV. Expressive Arts (A)
V. Literary & Artistic Studies (L)
VI. Historical & Cultural Studies (H)
VII. Social Studies (S)
VIII. Ethics & Human Values (E)
IX. American & European (Y)
X. Indigenous & Global (X)
XI. Natural Science (N)
2
7
2
2
0
6
4
2
3
Business Items:

The Committee discussed the procedure for review. It was agreed that the
subcommittee chair should be a member of the General Education Committee and that
additional members should be found that teach courses in the appropriate group. The
following subcommittee chairs were identified:
III. Language
IV. Expressive Arts (A)
V. Literary & Artistic Studies (L)
VI. Historical & Cultural Studies (H)
VIII. Ethics & Human Values (E)
IX. American & European (Y)
X. Indigenous & Global (X)
XI. Natural Science (N)
Rabinovich /Lawson
DeBoer
White
*Eglin
Luckowski
*Eglin
Lawson / Edwards
Adams/ Reisenfeld
*Professor Eglin resigned from the committee due to his department chair
responsibilities; therefore a new member is needed to chair the Historical and cultural
Studies and American & European Subcommittees.
The next meeting will be October 28th. Subcommittee chairs should be prepared with a
consent agenda that indicates whether the subcommittee approves or disapproves the
course. The subcommittees should determine whether the course meets the learning
outcomes and criteria. Subcommittee chairs may contact requestors for clarification or
modifications to the forms/ syllabi.

Chair Thibeau will document the review process procedure for continuity in the future.

It would be helpful for requestors to have access to sample general education forms.
Subcommittee members should identify exemplary forms during the review process.
RSCN/EVST 295 Resource Conservation was identified as a sample form for the Ethics
group last year. It will be posted as a reference.

There have been several correspondences regarding the mathematics requirement
language, but no resolution. Professor Sloan will review the language.

Discussion of the symbolic system issue was postponed. [Rather than asking academic
advisors to assist with creating a standard for counting credits, Associate Provost
Walker-Andrews recommends using the Registrar’s Office as a resource. Registrar
Johnson was contacted and he is asking the graduation coordinators for information. ]

Members were provided with a copy of the Association of American Colleges and
Universities’ (AACU) Essential Learning Outcomes. The Board of Regents’ General
Education Council is applying these outcomes to the MUS System Core. Associate
Provost Walker Andrews is also going to use the Outcomes for assessment of UM’s
general education program. Assessment of general education was recommended for
improvement by the accreditation team. She would like the committees’ help in
mapping the Outcomes and value rubrics to the general education preamble. Academic
Affairs has applied for an AACU grant to help fund the project. General education
assessment was attempted at the group level, but proved difficult in terms of appropriate
assignments across the groups.
In regards to the new accreditation standards / process, the Committee will be asked to
assist in identifying the core themes and to incorporate the big ideas/questions to the
current general education structure. The core themes must be identified by March 1st.
The themes should be articulated in a way that distinguishes UM from other institutions.
One theme will likely address undergraduate education. The University will need to
identify indicators and matrixes to show how it is making progress towards the core
theme goals over the next 7 years.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
The Essential Learning
Outcomes
Beginning in school, and continuing at successively higher levels across their college studies,
students should prepare for twenty-first-century challenges by gaining:
Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
• Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories,
languages, and the arts
Focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring
Intellectual and Practical Skills, including
• Inquiry and analysis
• Critical and creative thinking
• Written and oral communication
• Quantitative literacy
• Information literacy
• Teamwork and problem solving
Practiced extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging
problems, projects, and standards for performance
Personal and Social Responsibility, including
• Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global
• Intercultural knowledge and competence
• Ethical reasoning and action
• Foundations and skills for lifelong learning
Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges
Integrative and Applied Learning, including
• Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies
Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings
and complex problems