General Education Review Committee
Meeting, 1 March 2000
Red Oak Room, RL, 4:30-5:30 pm

Minutes

1.     We discussed Scott Lee's upcoming visit on Wednesday and Thursday, 3/15-16; we will meet with him on Wednesday, 3/15, in OH 250,
        4:30-5:30pm

        To prepare for the meeting, please do the following:

            a. Read his letter and the outline of potential interview topics and identify areas you can speak to; 
            b. Contact me between now and then, to let me know what you feel competent to address, in case Lee asks me who can help him on
                specific points; 
            c. Consider particularly the outline in regard to 1985 review but also in regard to concerns, issues, etc. pertaining to our current effort.
            d. Read also the handout I distributed: it is Lee's summary of our program: it is educational, giving a sense of what strikes outsiders
                about the distinctiveness and implications of our program. Please read this in advance of the meeting with Lee.
            e. Think about ways to pump Lee for information regarding current trends in Liberal Arts Gen Ed. Especially any information he may
                have regarding the nuts and bolts stuff--e.g., credit hour distributions, state-mandated articulation agreements, resource development,
                administrative support structures, and so on.


2. We discussed the general method for conducting the review of general education. We decided that we would pursue the following four areas of discussion:

        -- UNCA Mission
        -- Liberal Arts education--what it is or ought to be
        --The role of gen. ed. as a function of the liberal arts 
        --Forums in which teams from the Gen. Ed. Committee will go out to talk with faculty in the divisions. It was recommended that our teams
        include members from as many divisions as possible. It was also observed that we ought to bring students into this process, too, both by
        using discussion forums and by using surveys. 

3. Drs. Cathy Pons and Katz talked briefly about their trip to the General Education conference in San Antonio, TX. Katz also reported that it may be possible to fund a trip to the Charleston, SC, conference on the General Education and the Sciences, after all. He will be emailing members of the committee for interested volunteers.

4. We will be putting together a team to send to the Asheville Institute sponsored by AAC&U. At this reporting, the application is in the mail. Thanks to everyone who emailed their interest in serving on the team. This year's team will be Drs. Elaine Fox, Director of Special Programs; Michael Ruiz, Physics; Heon Lee, Sociology; Charles McKnight, Music; and myself. Those of you unable to participate in this year's Institute will have opportunities such as this in the future.

5. In addition to the discussion topics outlined in #2 above, we will also explore the following in future meetings: 

    --Chronicle article on Duke and Rice experiences in General Education Review and Revision
    --Handout: Jerry Gaff, "Avoiding the Potholes: Strategies for Reforming General Education." Educational Record. Fall 1980.

6. Next meetings: 

    --3/15, 4:30-5:30pm, OH 250
    --3/27, 4:30-5:30pm, Red Oak Rm.
    --W 4/5, 4:30-5:30pm, Red Oak Rm.
    --M 4/17, 4:30-5:30pm, Red Oak Rm.
    --W 5/3, 4:30-5:30pm, Red Oak Rm.

7. Submit to me your Fall 2000 schedules, so I can begin working on the fall meeting times and locations.