Substitute Motion for Council Document 96-3

Establishment of the University General Education Requirements

The various academic disciplines of the University shall propose to their respective departments which, if any, of their present courses satisfy one or more of the general education requirements as specified in Council Documents 95-19REV and 95-20REV.  The academic departments shall by majority vote develop a list specifying which of their courses satisfy one or more of the Purdue University Calumet general education requirements. and forward this list of general education courses to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs no later than November 1, 1996.

After November 1, 1996 specification of courses currently on the University’s master course list as general education courses shall require approval by the appropriate school senate.  As of March 5, 1996 courses requiring substantial changes in description in order to satisfy one or more of the University general education requirements and new courses designated as general education courses shall be approved through the normal procedure of departmental approval, school curriculum committee perusal, and school senate approval.  The school senates shall forward to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs the information on revised and new courses approved by the senates which satisfy one or more of the University general education requirements.

The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs shall maintain and disseminate the list of courses satisfying the University general education requirements.

JUSTIFICATION

Council Document 96-3 as originally proposed creates a cumbersome bureaucracy of committees whose existence implies that the faculty within academic departments are incapable of determining which of their courses satisfy the University general education requirements.  The mechanism to approve courses is already in place at the school senate level.  Allowing departments to decide which of their courses can be used to satisfy the general education requirements up to November 1, 1996, eliminates the possible burden on the senate curriculum committees of a flood of course approvals upon implementation of the University general education program.