News
GDRs becoming more liberal with less credits
The Pointer
kbeck271@uwsp.edu
If you’ve ever felt like you’re jumping through hoops just to graduate, listen up. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which currently has a mammoth general degree requirement of 62-65 credits, is completely reinventing its general degree requirement program.
UWSP’s GDR program has been generally the same for the last 30 years. GDRs affect current students, and impact prospective students.
Speaking of the current GDRs, student member of the General Education Policy Review Committee Andy Letson said, “I think it makes it tough for us to recruit students … We also, in my opinion, have a harder time retaining students.”
Changing the GDRs has been a long process. The 10 member General Education Policy Review Committee began the transformation process in Spring of 2008 after initiation from within and reviews by two important organizations, the American Association of State Colleges & Universities and the Higher Learning Commission.
The new GDR program will have a maximum of 45 credits. Reducing the number of credits, however, isn’t the only goal of the new general education program.
“We don’t want general education to be something you ‘get out of the way.’ We want it to be something that adds value to the degree,” said Don Guay, co-chair of the Gen. Ed. Policy Review Committee.
The major goal of the new general education program is greater connectedness and flexibility.
The new GDRs will be more than just long lists of fragmented requirements. Students will need to complete courses from three different levels: Foundation (developing fundamental skills), Investigation (understanding the physical, social and cultural worlds) and Integration (becoming a global citizen).
Letson explains the idea of integration, saying, “Even when you’re a senior, you’ll still be taking 300-level general education courses to help you connect the material that you took as a freshman to the material you’re taking as a senior.”
Preparing students for success in a constantly changing economy is the goal of a liberal arts degree.
“One of the things that we try and do here, at this university, is provide our students with a liberal education. That, of course, doesn’t mean train you to be a liberal but to give you a broad idea of the different things out there,” said Letson,
Why should students care about the GDR review process? After all, current students will have graduated by the time the new requirements are rolled out, at the earliest, in the Fall of 2011 and won’t be affected by any of the changes.
“We understand the challenges and frustrations we have with the current GDRs and I think it’s just responsible of us to want to clear those problems for future students,” said Letson.
Students are encouraged to help the committee do just that. Pop into Noel Fine Arts Center 110 at 9 a.m. on Mondays to sit in on a committee meeting, click on the “Comment on the General Education Proposal” link on your MyPoint homepage, or e-mail Guay at dguay@uwsp.edu with your ideas.
“If you don’t like the current program, tell us why and then look at the new one and give it some feedback. Tell us if it’s something you’d be interested in,” says Guay.
