MINUTES OF MEETINGS: 1997-98 Academic Year
The committee discussed work to be done over the summer and where to start in the fall. Reports from the freshman seminar syllabus group and the freshman composition group were discussed.
Fred Hinson has suggested that the committee consider making presentations at the AGLS meeting next October. Working groups reported on progress on the Wellness component, and on a meeting with the Math department.
Brian Railsback reported on the working group on freshman composition. The Wellness group has begun to meet as well. Curtis Wood reported on his meeting with Vice-Chancellor Collings.
Discussion of the administrative proposal continued with the objective of identifying questions for Curtis Wood to ask of Vice-Chancellor Collings when they meet to discuss the administrative proposal.
The committee discussed its work for the remainder of the semester. We decided to postpone the University Forum, as faculty are very busy and the committee will not have time to digest all of the information from the open hearings before the planned date for the Forum. Frank Prochaska (Academic Affairs) brought Drew Calandrella, Associate Vice President for Student Academic Services at Sonoma State University, to the meeting to tell the committee about Sonoma's learning communities and freshman seminar.
The discussion was a summary of important points that came out at the open hearings. The work of the committee for the remainder of the academic year was outlined.
Nory Prochaska reported on the discussion with Leroy Kauffman's junior-level students. The committee discussed the input from the first Open Hearing and made plans for two more hearings this week. The discussion of the adminstration and assessment proposal continued.
A group from the Freshman Composition program attended the meeting to discuss the composition component of the program proposal. A working group will be formed including committee members and English facuty, to further examine the role of freshman composition in the general education proposal.
Plans for the format of the open hearings were discussed. The Committee will invite freshman composition specialists from the English department to help us reach a common ground about writing instruction in the general education program. Discussion of the administrative and assessment components of the proposal was started.
Curtis Wood reported on the development of the approval process. A schedule of open hearings is being developed as an input opportunity for the university community. Strategies for continuing the development of the program proposal were discussed.
The committee shared more responses to the program proposal. Plans for events to open the discussion to the University community were made. Planning questions and approval mechanism for Perspectives courses was considered.
Several individual responses have been received to the program proposal, and were shared with the committee. A discussion followed about areas of the proposal that will raise questions. How will courses be approved? The next long meeting will examine the possibilities for this process in more depth.
The committee heard a report of Curtis' meeting with Drs. Bardo, Collings and Kinnear regarding the approval process. We discussed furhter the meeting with the English department. The program proposal will be sent out to the University Community by the end of the week.
The committee met with several members of the English department to hear the English faculty's concerns about the program proposal as presented at the General Education Faculty meeting.
In a long meeting, the committee advised Curtis in preparation for his meeting with Chancellor Bardo, Vice-Chancellor Collings, and Terry Kinear regarding the approval process. Revision of the program proposal document was discussed further, and the reactions of the English Department to the preliminary document were described.
An attempt to polish the program proposal got somewhat bogged down in a discussion of the Freshman Seminar. Clearly, some more exact specifications of this course need to be prepared to make the concept clear to the University community.
In a long meeting, the committee considered refining the proposed program to a single clearly stated, uniform document. Many individual aspects were discussed, and working groups were formed to do the writing of the program, and to write an administrative structure for the program.
A long committee meeting reviewed each of the sub-group proposals for the program model. These suggestions will be presented at the General Education Faculty Meeting on Thursday, January 29th.
The committee met with Frank Prochaska and Fred Hinson. Frank informed the committee about Academic Affairs plans to experiment with learning communities next fall. Fred shared his vast experience with the present General Education program, and mentioned specific implications for our program.
The goal of preparing for the General Education Faculty Meeting on January 29 was the focus of the meeting. Workgroups gave updates of their work. Curtis Wood reported on his meeting with Terry Kinnear and Vice Chancellor Collings.
The committee considered its goals for the semester. Working groups reported on progress with development of aspects of the model.
The committee formed working groups to develop aspects of the model in more detail.
Extensive discussion of various aspects of the model.
The Committee met from 5:30 till 9:00 pm for a brain-storming session on model development. The long meeting format is very valuable for this kind of discussion, and will be followed in a two-hour format until a presentable model is formulated. The next meeting will be Monday, November 24 from 4-6 pm in the Library Conference Room. The model development discussion will continue. The model will not be published until it is in more final form, but the meetings are open to the public.
Plans for the long working meeting were reviewed. Summarized feedback from the October Forum was examined. Many of the remarks may be addressed when a more detailed model is developed, but the committee is aware that some revision of the Fundamental Principles may be appropriate. The summarized feedback will be published on the Web page.
Plans for the long working meeting were finalized. The next meeting will discuss the Forum notes summarized by John Habel
Results of sub-group work on model development were reported. The committee will consider the models more carefully before the next meeting. A longer meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 15; the committee members are to reply to Curtis Wood if this time is suitable for them.
Plans for development of General Education Models were decided upon. The committee will be divided into three groups to discuss models, and will reconvene at the end of the month to compare notes. We will continue to analyze the Forum notes and report to the University community shortly. We hope to have an outline of a model by the end of the semester, and plan to spend the Spring semester working out implementation details. Input from the University community will be considered in all development activities.
Final plans for the Forum were discussed.
Some feedback on the Fundamental Principles was shared, and further plans for the Forum were discussed.
A summary of the committee's original charge from Dr. Bardo was distributed. Further plans for the forum were discussed.
Final plans for distribution of the Fundamental Principles were discussed. Plans for the University Forum Meeting will be discussed over the course of the next few meetings. The date for the Forum will be Wednesday, October 1, 1997.
The cover letter to accompany the Fundamental Principles was approved. Distribution of the letter and plans for the Forum meeting were discussed.
The Fundamental Principles of General Education statement was approved, and planning of activities for faculty respons were discussed.
Curtis Wood assumed the chair of the committee. The Principles statement was distributed for review in its final form. It will be distributed to the University community after the committee makes any last modifications next week. The timeline of the committee's work for this year, and ideas for soliciting faculty input about the Principles were discussed.
Return to Minutes Menu or Year Summary