General Education Initiative Task Force:

Minutes of Meeting - November 6, 1997

Members Attending:

Greg Cashman, Phil Creighton, Jane Dané, Mike Garner, Ben Greene, Steve Hetzler, Fred Kundell, Robert Long, Chapman McGrew, Pat Richards, Fatollah Saliman, Kathleen Shannon, Sarah Sharbach, Robert Smith, Debra Thatcher, Gail Welsh, George Whitehead, Ellen Whitford, Bill Zak

Members Not Attending: Mike Boolukos, Tom Erskine, Victoria Hutchinson, Jim Lackie, Arlene White

Announcements:

• Jim Lackie will meet with Belinda Sawyer and will categorize the listing of reference publications. The group will review and assign the readings next meeting.
• Additional conference opportunities will be discussed at the next meeting.
• Provost had no announcements.
• Minutes were approved as is.

Meeting:

• When comparing the four different groups sets of attributes and the strategic plan, there is a lot of overlap and agreement between the teams and almost all of them are parallel either explicitly or implicitly. Today's meeting objective is to review the group listing of attributes, compare with the characteristics delineated in the strategic plan and try to come to consensus on a listing of attributes. This listing will be provided to those attending the strategic plan meeting on November 25th.
• The group broke into teams and discussed their attribute listing in terms of the strategic plan. The group reconvened and discussed attribute differences.
• The results of those discussions resulted in the revised listing of attributes/characteristics. That revised listing is attached to these minutes.

Points brought up during the discussion:

• Organization is a problem. Some bullets are stressed more than others. Form that supports the substance needs to be addressed.
• Missing the idea of 'Life Long Learning'
• One group reviewed the characteristics in terms of Alverno's eight values. Cited that the idea of student participation in developing and using the process had value.
• All groups indicated that the 'broad base of knowledge ' phraseology is missing.
• For Alverno comparison:
• Alverno goal Strategic plan attributes

Communications Goal 2/3

Analysis 3/4/8

Problem Solving 4/7/9 * also practiced leadership

Valuing Decision making 5/6/7/9 *noted that the value systems and moral dimensions were pervasive in our plan - in a lot of different places

Social Interaction 2/3/6/7

Global Perspective 6/9 *Add acting with a global perspective to the diversity statement

Effective Citizenship 3/7/9

Aesthetic Responsiveness 8

• Need to add to SSU attributes:

Acting Globally

Broad Base of Knowledge

Change 'Learn to speak, read and write effectively." to "Speak, read and write using a variety of media"

• Group three constructed a diagram to provide a structure for the process.
• Based on that relationship the strategic plan objectives would be classified in this way:

Skills: #1,2,3,4,7

Knowledge: #8

Perspective: #5,6,9

• Idea is to see how the core or fundamental knowledge fits with the gen Ed process. Move away from making statements about specific topics to be learned to the way in which the student learns and the methods of cognition. In other words, don't address teaching algebra, but rather how algebra is related to logical reasoning.

• There was some discussion regarding adding the idea of technological literacy and also the idea of creativity and independence of mind.
• A suggestion was made to boil down the attributes to a list and get rid of the rhetoric that encapsulates the attributes. Present a real specific, succinct listing to the faculty.
• discussion took place on whether technology should function as a stand alone attribute or be described as a tool of the other attributes.
• Weighting of attributes - after discussion about whether to address this now the point was made that there is plenty of time to discuss this later.
• Decision was made to go ahead with the list as revised today, distribute to faculty as a 'Working Draft'. Solicit input and comments, which will be reviewed and discussed in the January retreat.
• The working document will be E-Mailed out.

vld 11/21/97

Attributes of a Salisbury State University Graduate

A Working Draft Document presented to the faculty for consideration and input by the General Education Task Force.

Salisbury State University's graduates will:

• possess a broad base of knowledge
• demonstrate competence in a specific academic discipline
• speak, read, write, and listen effectively using a variety of media
• know how to obtain, accurately assess, and present information and ideas
• identify and solve problems, think critically, and reason effectively
• develop a set of convictions that can guide the conduct of their lives
• act with respect for diversity
• begin to practice leadership based on integrity, fairness, and respect for others
• make judgments based on ethical awareness and reflections
• make and defend judgments about the quality of artistic expression
• demonstrate involvement and responsibility in the community
• exhibit creativity and independence of mind
• value life-long learning

NOTE: The task force has reached consensus on these attributes and would like input from the faculty. Please realize that the task force does not consider that all of these attributes are weighted equally nor has it listed the attributes in any rank order.