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Minutes from the Meeting of the Council on General Education
November 7-8, 2002
Fieldstone Inn, Hiawassee, Georgia

NOVEMBER 7, 2002

Members present: Tommy Joe Anderson, James Burran, Tom Fox, Jim Fletcher, Bill Fritz, Bob Haney, Larry Mobley, Shirley Hall, Jack Morrell, Pete Silver, Dorothy Zinsmeister

Members excused: Cathie Hudson, John Lupold

Invited Participants: Frank Butler, Virginia Carson, Linda Damico

Dr. Burran opened the meeting by asking all those present to introduce themselves. He indicated that Dr. Dan Papp asked the Council on General Education to identify suggested action steps for the Board of Regents related to Goal 1, Recommendation 1; Goal 1, Recommendation 2; and Goal 3, Recommendation 4 of the Board's new Strategic Plan. Several individuals were invited to participate in the Council's discussion in order to provide additional institutional and personal perspectives.

The three items about which the Board would like to receive suggested action steps from the expanded General Education Council are:

  • Goal 1, Recommendation 1: Encourage academic structures that promote interdisciplinary learning, learning communities, and highlight the interconnectedness of knowledge;

  • Goal 1, Recommendation 2: Integrate ethical studies and diversity more fully into the core curriculum and general studies; and

  • Goal 3. Recommendation 4: Encourage more collaboration between two-year and four-year institutions in the revision of curricula and the refinement of course objectives.

The task for the expanded General Education Council is to identify for presentation to the Board of Regents at its May 2003 meeting several ways that USG institutions could accomplish the recommendations detailed above, taking into account the considerable differences that exist between and among USG institutions.

Given its charge, the Council discussed the three strategic planning items, creating a list of "options to consider" for each of the three recommendations. Dr. Burran agreed to summarize the discussion and send it out for review by the expanded Council membership before our next meeting in February, 2003.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 pm.

NOVEMBER 8, 2002

Actions of the Council on General Education

  1. Gainesville College

    TBLD 1502 Team Building (2)
    NOT APPROVED
    Appears to be a skills-based course. Course not sufficiently collegiate in nature to warrant academic credit. Topics included are typically taught in courses outside the core at other institutions.

  2. Valdosta State University

    1. Biology 1065 Plants & Human Affairs (3)
      NOT APPROVED
      Course outline and course outcomes are not aligned with one another. Science component not apparent- course about science i.e. science perspectives rather than science.

    2. Geography 1100 Introduction to Geography (3)
      TENTATIVELY APPROVED for AREA E
      Council approves course in concept, but will withhold approval until VSU verifies that it is not a required course in Area E.

    **VSU verifies that GEOG 1100 is an Area E elective. APPROVED 2/7/03.

  3. East Georgia College
     

    1. Biology 1000-Environmental Biology (3)
      APPROVED for AREA B

    2. Geology 1123 – Environmental Geology (3)
      TENTATIVELY APPROVED for AREA B
      However, the Council requests clarification of the following issues:

      • The topics to be covered in this course include significant overlap of content typically found in Physical Geography. Please explain.
      • The grading scheme contained in the syllabus does not agree with the evaluation section. Please explain.

    3. COMM 1110 – Public Speaking (3)
      APPROVED FOR AREAS B AND C

    4. POLS 2401 – Introduction to International Relations and Global Issues (3)
      APPROVED for AREA B

    5. MATH 1000 – Problems in Mathematics (1)
      APPROVED for AREA B

    6. SERV 1001 – Service Learning (1)
      APPROVAL WITHHELD PENDING CLARIFICATION

    7. PROB 1101 and PROB 1102 – Problem Solving I and II
      No supporting materials were submitted by the institution.

    8. ENGL 1010 – Campus Publications (1)
      NOT APPROVED
      This is a skills-based course awarding academic credit for student work in campus publications, and thus is not eligible for inclusion in the core curriculum. The institution does, however, have the option of offering it outside the core.

    9. ISCI 1101 – Integrated Science (4)
      APPROVAL WITHHELD PENDING FURTHER STUDY

Meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.

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