General Education Council Report, May 2006

 

The General Education Council has met two times since January 2006. The focus has been establishing guidelines that will facilitate general education transfer, Roger Barbour’s main focus. The objective over-all is to promote ease of transfer while maintaining institutional identity.

 

Indian Education for All is expected to be a factor in determining the adjusted MUS Core. This will affect each institution as well. The committee is looking at definitions appropriate for the various sections of the MUS Core. Each institution is sending its list of general education courses and the assessment tools utilized in choosing them. We will meet the 25th of May and examine the various plans for similarities hoping to find common language that will make the task easier. The group in general is expressing a desire to avoid evaluating each and every course from each institution.

 

There is some divergence on the committee in terms of the purpose of general education. UM-M demonstrates its movement toward greater depth of general education integration via the Faculty Senate approved General Education Preamble. Some of the institutions are expressing less interest in doing much beyond “some general education courses.” It is too early to tell the outcome, but those of us interested in a broadened vision of general education are persistent.

 

Membership:

Karen Hill, Applied Arts & Sciences
  The University of Montana-Missoula College of Technology
Jeff Adams, Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
  Montana State University-Bozeman
Audrey Cameron, General Education Instructor
  The University of Montana-Helena College of Technology
Steve Cherry, Associate Professor-Department of Mathematical Sciences
  Montana State University-Bozeman
Jed Cox, Senator, Associated Students of The University of Montana
  The University of Montana-Missoula
Tasneem Khaleel, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
  Montana State University
Beth Krueger,Dean, Academic Affairs
  Miles Community College
Bill MacGregor, Professor, Professional & Technical Communication
  Montana Tech of The University of Montana
George Shryock, Counselor
  Flathead Valley Community College
Curtis Smeby, Education Department
  Montana State University-Northern
Karl Ulrich, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
  The University of Montana-Western
Dennis Veleber, Arts & Science Department
  Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology-Billings