How did the GEC arrive at this mission statement? Some background information
may help you to see the care taken in its construction over the last year.
1. SCSU did not have a mission statement for general education. The closest “guideline”
we had was the listing of five criteria for a general education course that has been used
for determining general education curriculum (meeting three out of five criteria). In
Strategic Planning and through conversations with both the Dean of Undergraduate
Studies and the Director of Assessment (in conjunction with information received from
NCA/HCL) we realized a need for such a statement.
2. We gathered sample mission statements from a variety of general education programs,
both in state and elsewhere. Committee members examined these documents and
selected ones they liked the best. These samples are collected on the General
Education web page under Documents and Policies (see Starting Point Links on General
Education Mission/Vision). This process began during Spring 2005.
3. We gathered input from the faculty at the April 6th Forum and incorporated faculty
feedback into an original draft. One of our members, Carolyn Hartz (PHIL), has been
extremely helpful in updating drafts of the mission. We also solicited input from faculty at
the Fall Convocation meeting.
4. We consulted the Higher Learning Commission Statement on General Education to make
sure we were considering what they believe is important in general education. You may
wish to consult this statement at http://www.hpcnet.org/assessmentgep.
5. We checked mission alignment with SCSU Mission/Goals and consulted goals of the
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
6. We have received and carefully considered feedback from the Racial Issues Colloquium,
from posts to the General Education Listserv (currently 41 subscribers), and from emails
sent to members of the GEC.
7. We have examined numerous drafts of our mission, in particular a second and more
concise draft from GEC members Margaret Villanueva and Semya Hakim, considering
specific wording and presentation of ideas in a careful, thoughtful manner. We have tried
to incorporate concerns of our college representatives in the final draft. If members of the
campus community are interested in this process, they are directed to the General
Education web site at http://www.stcloudstate.edu/generaleducation. On that site, under
Documents and Policies, various mission drafts and suggestions are posted. Minutes of
all GEC meetings are also available. We have found materials from the American
Association of Colleges & Universities to be particularly helpful in understanding
definitions of liberal education (e.g., see
http://www.aacu.org/advocacy/what_is_liberal_education.cfm). Other key articles have
guided our thinking and these are posted under Resources on the General Education
web page.
What is our next step as a committee?
At this point we have not articulated student learning outcomes. That will come next. You will
note from GEC minutes posted on our web page that we hope to incorporate other viewpoints as
we embark upon this task. We recognize the need to offer more general learning outcomes at
the program level (general education) which will filter to more specific knowledge/ability/skills
learning outcomes at the course level. We are asking for assistance from the University
Assessment Committee in accomplishing this task.
As a committee, we need to keep several points in mind as we approach this task:
1. Learning outcomes will no doubt be ultimately organized hierarchically. The committee will
consider more generally what it is we want from students who complete the SCSU General
Education Program. After we get goal categories, we will enlist the help of others (e.g., College
Assessment Chairs/Committees) to further articulate the student learning goals.
2. Stated student learning outcomes should be assessable.
3. Stated student learning outcomes should connect with our mission statement.
4. We may wish to consider the MTC, but realize we can take it and make it our own.
5. We plan to revisit the work we have done in earlier drafts. Statements were criticized for
length, but we realize that they may inform our work on goals and outcomes.