Program Administration

Acting on behalf of the President and as the chief academic officer, the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or her or his designee) has direct administrative responsibility for the effectiveness, quality, and management of the University's General Education Program. Included in those administrative responsibilities are

• resource allocation,
• monitoring of course offerings,
• establishment and oversight of assessment of the program,
• and development and implementation of curricular and programmatic modifications based on assessment and following the review process outlined below.

The curricular content of the General Education Program falls within the purview of the university faculty. It is the responsibility of the faculty to

• continuously reexamine the goals and objectives of the General Education curriculum,
• ensure the provision of courses and other educational experiences to allow students to meet those goals and acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities established as the objectives of General Education,
• participate in the assessment of General Education, and
• provide the disciplinary and pedagogical expertise that will lead to improvements in the General Education Program.

To enable appropriate faculty participation in the oversight of General Education, the Faculty Senate has formed a General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee whose responsibilities include (1) considering assessment reports on the effectiveness of the General Education Program or elements thereof, (2) providing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs recommendations for curricular and programmatic modifications in General Education that are based on assessment results, and (3) reviewing and commenting on such recommendations for curricular and programmatic modifications in General Education as may be developed by the President or the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (GECAC) consists of nine faculty members appointed by the Faculty Senate. The nine positions will be distributed among the undergraduate colleges in the following manner: four from the College of Arts and Sciences (one from the social and behavioral sciences, one from computational sciences, one from the humanities, and one from the natural and physical sciences), one from the College of Education and Human Development, one from the College of Business and Economics, one from the Waldron College of Nursing and Health Services, one from the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and one from the College of Information Science and Technology. The chairperson of the General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee is elected from among that group. The Faculty Senate determines the terms of membership and the process by which committee members are appointed.

All recommendations for changes in the General Education Program are submitted simultaneously by the General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee to the Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association review and comment on such recommendations, indicating their support or lack of support and/or suggesting revisions of the General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee's recommendations. Within 30 days after receipt of recommendations from the General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee, the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association forward their review and comments to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Vice President for Academic Affairs must consider the recommendations of the General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee, the Faculty Senate, and the Student Government Association before recommending changes in General Education to the President.

Proposed revisions in the General Education curriculum should be approved by the Faculty Senate and the President. Should substantive differences occur, they should be reconciled through consultation among the two parties. Otherwise, the Faculty Senate and/or the President may address their respective views to the Board of Visitors for consideration and appropriate action.

Final authority to implement changes in General Education rests with the President but only after reviewing recommendations received from the Vice President for Academic Affairs and only after ensuring that those recommendations have been subjected to the review process. The President or the Vice President for Academic Affairs can ask the General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee to consider changes the President or the Vice President for Academic Affairs believes are needed. The General Education Curriculum Advisory Committee is obligated to consider and act on the President's or the Vice President's proposals and to forward its recommendations appropriately.