Cal Poly
State of California San Luis Obispo CA 93407

M E M O R A N D U M

Thank you for your memo of February 19, 1997, which transmitted Academic Senate Resolution (AS-472_97/gebadhoc) on General Education and Breadth Program: Proposed Administrative Structure.

I am pleased to approve the Senate Resolution on the proposed administrative structure for the General Education and Breadth Program. This is an important step forward for the University in the refinement of the General Education and Breadth Program. This new governance structure has great promise in bringing fresh perspectives to bear on general education at Cal Poly and guiding this vital dimension of undergraduate academic life. Together with the 4-unit conversion and a new GEB template, this governance structure will help achieve the goals of strengthening and streamlining the general education curriculum. I very much appreciate the efforts of the Academic Senate in moving this issue through the extensive review and consultation process.

In the course of discussions and review of the general education governance structure, questions have arisen about the representative membership of the General Education Committee, particularly with regard to student participation. The intent of the governance proposal is that general education henceforth be viewed and treated as a coherent program rather than a disaggregated set of course requirements. For this reason, the membership of the committee responsible for the program is constituted similar to that of a department or program faculty and the processes through which the general education program handles courses, curriculum and other policy and operational issues, are similar to the way other academic programs and departments handle these same matters. To assure breadth of representation, sub-committees, which are formal, functional components of the General Education Committee, include members who do not hold faculty positions, particularly student representatives. The sub-committees are a crucial part of the overall standing general education governance structure and will have significant authority and accountability. As a result, the student voice in general education should be strengthened. ASI supported this proposal as it was being developed and reviewed, and the proposal received strong support in the Academic Senate, passing by a vote of 34 to 14. This arrangement satisfies the conditions of Executive Order 595: General Education- Breadth Requirements.

Please express my appreciation to both the members of the Academic Senate and the General Education and Breadth Ad Hoc Committee for their efforts.

GENERAL EDUCATION AND BREADTH PROGRAM

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

Conceptual Goals of the General Education and Breadth Program
The California State University requires General Education and Breadth programs designed to assure graduates have made noteworthy progress toward becoming truly educated persons and provide means whereby graduates will have:

A. the ability to think clearly and logically, to find information and examine it critically, to communicate orally and in writing, and to reason quantitatively;

B. appreciable knowledge about their own bodies and minds, about how human society has developed and how it now functions, about the physical world in which they live, about the other forms of life with which they share the world, and about the cultural endeavors and legacies of their civilizations;

C. an understanding and appreciation of the principles, methodologies, value systems, and thought processes employed in human inquiries.

It is the ultimate aim of the program that the habits of thought and discussion, of engaging one's curiosity, creativity, and penchant for discovery, and of inquiry and learning, nurtured in Cal Poly's GEB program, will persist throughout the lives of all students.

Responsibility for the General Education and Breadth Program
General Education and Breadth is a university level program and requires the strong leadership of the university provost and president.

Cal Poly's General Education and Breadth program is the administrative responsibility of the GEB Committee. This administrative function is meant to be consistent with normal university procedures involving curriculum and to parallel the process used by departments in making programmatic proposals. Just as a department makes curricular and programmatic recommendations via a dean to the Academic Senate, the GEB Committee, after appropriate consultation with affected units, makes curricular and programmatic recommendations to the Academic Senate via the provost. The provost submits the GEB proposals to the Academic Senate for review and recommendations. The ultimate decisions and responsibilities for the General Education and Breadth program, as with any program, lie with the president.

The GEB Committee
The GEB Committee is charged with assuming a vigorous leadership and administrative role in the development and maintenance of a strong and coherent General Education and Breadth program that meets the noble purposes of its conceptual goals and fosters a stimulating academic and intellectual environment on the Cal Poly campus. By its own initiatives, and those of the university community, and by consultation with appropriate campus groups, the GEB Committee will make recommendations, through its director, to the provost on all matters and aspects pertaining to the General Education and Breadth program including philosophy, content, format, delivery, and adherence to standards of quality.

Among the Specific Duties Assigned to the GEB Committee are the Following:

* program development, monitoring, and assessment
* designating GEB courses
* encouraging innovation
* issues related to community college GEB programs
* interaction with academic and administrative units
* acting on petitions regarding GEB requirements
* promoting and coordinating GEB related activities such as conferences, seminars, and speakers

Membership: A director and eight committee members will compose the GEB Committee; two from the College of Science and Mathematics, two from the College of Liberal Arts, and one from each of the four professional colleges. Committee members will serve three-year renewable terms that are staggered to promote continuity.

Qualifications of GEB Committee Members: Committee members will be faculty members with a demonstrated interest in GEB and who have a thorough understanding of, and deep conviction and commitment to, the philosophy and conceptual goals of the General Education and Breadth program.

Appointment of GEB Committee Members: The provost appoints GEB Committee members after consultation with the Academic Senate.

Director of the GEB Committee

Responsibilities: The director has administrative responsibility for the university's General Education and Breadth program and will lead the GEB Committee in fulfilling its charges, responsibilities, and duties.

Qualifications: The director will have a thorough understanding of, and deep conviction and commitment to, the philosophy and goals of the General Education and Breadth Program, extensive experience in teaching, developing, and supervising GEB courses, and demonstrated leadership experience in curricular matters. Normally, the director will be a faculty member in either the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Science and Mathematics.

Selection: The director will be appointed by the provost after solicitation of nominations and applications and consultation with the GEB Committee and the Academic Senate.

Term: Three-year renewable terms at the pleasure of the provost.

GEB Subject Area Committees

Subject Area Committees will be established and modified by the GEB Committee for the purpose of advising the committee on courses and programs within each area, and to review courses and programs already in place. Initially there will be three area committees - (1) Arts and Humanities, (2) Science, Mathematics, and Technology, and (3) Social and Behavioral Sciences - that will be composed of seven members each, including one student. At least four of the members and the student must be from department/colleges in the subject area. Area committee members will be appointed by the GEB Committee after consultation with the Academic Senate. Terms: three-year renewable.