General Education Task Force Proposes New Curriculum

Town Hall meetings are scheduled for the end of April for members of the Northeastern State University community to share opinions about the new general education curriculum proposed by the universitys General Education Task Force (GETF).

View the Proposal

In the fall of 2007, Dr. Dalton Bigbee, vice president for Academic Affairs, appointed 17 members of the NSU community to the GETF to review the university's general education curriculum, a task that had not been tackled in 20 years. Nearly two years and 30 meetings later, the GETF has a proposed curriculum ready to reveal to the campus community.

"It's been a long process. The members of the task force meet face-to-face quite frequently and we also dialogue by email," said Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford, GETF chair and assistant professor of Communication Studies. "This is a very thoughtful, involved group. We are ready for feedback on our proposal."

This is not the first time the GETF has solicited feedback from the NSU community. In the spring of 2008, a survey was conducted asking for opinions on the current general education curriculum and what people believe NSU graduates need to know. Nearly 700 NSU students, faculty, staff, and alumni responded.

In the fall of 2008, focus groups made up of faculty from every department were interviewed and asked about classes that should be included in the new general education curriculum.

"We have been really pleased with the input from the NSU community thus far," said Sanford. "We tried to consider every voice as we deliberated."

View the Proposal. People are encouraged to email Sanford at aldridga@nsuok.edu with their feedback.

The town hall meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, April 29 at 4 p.m. and Thursday, April 30 at 2:30 p.m. and will be held in the NET Tower Room. Members of the GETF will be present to discuss the proposal and address feedback emailed to Sanford.

"I want to commend the task force for their very serious work and for the results of their deliberations. I believe the result is an updated general education curriculum that will serve our students well as we begin our second century," said Bigbee. "All members of the NSU community should study the recommendations and come to the town hall meetings prepared to provide input to the task force."

4/7/2009

Published: 2009-04-07 00:00:00