TO: The University Community
FROM: The General Education Review Committee
RE: Fundamental Principles of General Education
The General Education Review Committee has completed the first year of its two year assignment. The Chancellor's charge to the Committee requested that we examine and discuss national trends in general education, and ultimately propose a program that integrates those trends with the specific requirements of students at Western Carolina University. The Committee spent the 199697 academic year reading, discussing, and reflecting on national trends as reported in the literature and gathered from attendance at national conferences on general education. From these sources, we began to connect those general ideas to the academic needs and possibilities of Western Carolina University. In this way, we have arrived at a statement of Fundamental Principles of General Education, a copy of which is enclosed with this letter. We hope to gain your involvement in our mutual discussion of these ideas.
The Committee is asking the University community to respond to this document in terms of its appropriateness as a statement of philosophy from which we can develop a vigorous, meaningful, and valued General Education program. Over the next few weeks, we invite individual responses in writing or by email to any member of the Committee, to our electronic newsgroup (at www.wcu.edu/cc/infosheets/wcunewsgroups.html) or by conversation with any Committee member. We also encourage discussion within formal and informal groups of faculty, staff, and students to whom this issue is of interest.
On Wednesday October 1, 1997 from 3 till 5 pm in the Cherokee Room of the University Center, the Committee will host an open University Forum to discuss the Principles and the possibilities for their implementation. Subsequently, we will form working groups of volunteers to explore further the implementation of each of the Principles. We also welcome suggestions for other effective ways to promote this discussion over the next few months.
We remind you that the minutes of all past Committee meetings, a bibliography of our readings, and a copy of the Fundamental Principles are available on our Web page at www.wcu.edu/genedrev/ . We encourage you to explore this information if you wish to review the Committee's work.