Most students are familiar with the drill; in order to graduate, those eleven categories of liberal education must be knocked out first.
For some, this is a burden that slows them down on their way to more exciting course materials. To others, the liberal education program acts as a stepping stone toward academic self-discovery.
Completing the liberal education is required, but why? Is it a waste of time, or possibly a way to further drain students of their money?
Director of the Liberal Education Program Dr. Debra Peterson says it is neither.
“Students don’t know why they have to take the courses, or how they’re related to one another,” said Peterson.
The liberal education program is supposed to aid students in their critical thinking capabilities along with allowing students to recognize their full potentials.
Since 2002, Dr. Peterson, along with a focus group of students and faculty, has been reassessing the liberal education program at Bemidji State University (BSU). In 2005, a task force was put together to create a new liberal education program.
“In the spring of 2008, the new liberal education program was approved by the Student Senate, and the Faculty Senate approved most of it,” said Peterson.
After some revisions, the Faculty Senate approved the new liberal education program in 2009.
Currently, under each category in the liberal education program, several desired outcomes are listed. The classes which fulfill said categories are only required to address the majority of these ourcomes. However, the new program would have classes which fulfill all goals.
New requirements mean new or modified classes. While some classes would remain the same, such as introductory classes, some liberal education classes could be as advanced as a 3000 level course.
In addition, instead of eleven categories, students will now have three divisions: Foundation Core, Diversity of Knowledge and Integration. Each of these divisions would encompass the previously mentioned competencies.
The first division, Foundation Core, would focus on much of the structural basis to their education, such as mathematics and communication.
The Diversity of Knowledge division would allow students to begin to branch out and explore the different disciplines available for study.
The final division, Integration, would challenge students to observe various multi-disciplinary topics, such as the environment and wellness.
A class most students are familiar with is First Year Experience (FYE). With the new liberal education program, a new freshman class was also proposed. This class would be aimed at developing students’ critical thinking skills and getting them ready for college level academics.
With these new classes and new requirements, one may be wondering how much will actually change.
Peterson noted that one of the biggest concerns of students is whether or not credits from other institutions will still transfer. MnSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) has already approved of the program and credits will still transfer the same.
When will this grand change take place? Due to the recent budget cuts, certain classes are being cut. Since the new liberal education program involves new or modified classes, this was under the knife.
With classes being cut, not everyone is on board with the new program anymore. This has put a major damper on the rolling progress of the task force. Last month, the BSU Faculty Association voted to remove their support of the new liberal education plan.
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