General Education Committee
MINUTES
Approved 9-8-2006
TYPE OF
MEETING
FACILITATOR
NOTE TAKER
ATTENDEES
FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2006
11:00-12:30
WICK SCIENCE BUILDING 101
General Education Committee
Judy Litterst, Chair
Margaret Villanueva
General Education Committee (2 members per unit, 3 year staggered)
BUS: Vacant (06), Larry Roth (MGMT/08)
ED: Semya Hakim (HURL/06) (07) [resigned], Luther Rotto (IM/06)(08)
FAH: Carolyn Hartz (PHIL/06), Judy Litterst (CMST/07)*
S&E: Maureen Tubbiola (BIOL/06), Mohammad Mahroof-Tahir (CHEM/07)
COSS: Margaret Villanueva (CMTY/06), Michelle Hammes (POL/07)
SPEC: Susan Motin (LR/TS/06), Vacant (08)
General Education Assessment Coordinator: Neal Voelz (BIOL/)
Guest: Jennifer (Kate) Peterson (LR/TS)
Topics
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION
Motion to Approve Minutes of 4/21/06
M-Hartz
S-Mahroof-Tahir
P
CHAIR’S REPORT
DISCUSS
a. Academic Affairs meeting with Deans, April 25, 2006—provided an update on current status
of draft general education goals and encouraged deans to let chairs know of our willingness
to visit departments for updates and discussions.
b. Submissions to CETL were sent to Frankie Condon regarding GEC workshops for Fall
Convocation week.
1) GEC members should watch for convocation brochure for time/location of
sessions. One session on update of progress. Another on general education
core assessment was proposed.
2) Future “reading circles” related to general education also were suggested for
the next academic year through CETL.
c. Student Government resolution regarding its position on GEC and recommendation from
Faculty Association Constitutional Review Committee
d. Regarding Gen Ed assessment, Judy Litterst and Neal Voelz (with the new director of
assessment) will be working with Lisa Foss (Institutional Effectiveness) over the summer.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
DISCUSS
a. The Student Government (SGA) resolution requesting a position on the GEC was
discussed, resulting in a decision by this committee.
b. To improve relations between this committee and student government, the GEC Chair
will offer to attend SGA meetings for input from students. In passing the Motion, the GEC
recognizes that student voices are also appropriately heard in the President’s Council. As a
committee, GEC values and invites student input.
MOTION
DISCUSS
DISCUSS
M-Kukoleca Hammes
S-Hartz
That the General Education Committee (GEC) concurs with the Faculty Association
Executive Committee on their motion regarding Student Government Association (SGA)
representation on GEC. The GEC invites SGA to select one nonvoting guest par ticipant
and an alternate guest participant to attend GEC meetings.
GEC followed up on previous discussions of the draft goals and an explanation of the principles for
goals that flow from Gen Ed Mission Statement:
1) Goals and supporting documents will be presented to the Senate as early as possible in
the Fall 2006 semester, and faculty groups on goal areas formed
2) Committee discussed plans and timeline for 2006-07 Gen Ed reform efforts
3) The chair will incorporate the draft goals as agreed upon by the end of the Spring 2006
semester into a working document for committee review at the first meetings of Fall 2006.
(Attached)
4) For the Fall, GEC has a number of tasks to address, in particular:
 goal area groups and student learning outcomes
 visits to deans’ advisory councils, college meetings, departments
 documenting the process and timeline
 statement on value of Gen Ed for SCSU bulletin
 campus communication plan
Elections of chair and other officers for GEC in the coming year were discussed, and Judy Litterst
was unanimously elected as chair for 2006-2007. Volunteers and elections for other committee
positions will be decided during first meeting of Fall 2006.
The chair thanked the committee members for their work this academic year.
Next meeting time will be decided after schedules of committee members are reviewed, tentatively
on Fridays at 3:30 – 5:00 pm, and the place will be WSB 101.