The Faculty Senate and the General Education Committee is holding a town hall meeting concerning the General Education program at Fort Hays State University from 3 p.m. to 4:30 pm on Thursday, Nov. 20, in Albertson Hall, room 169.
All faculty, staff, students, and the general public are invited to open discussion about the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the current General Education program at FHSU.
The town hall meeting will be recorded, and the recording will be made available on the internet along with a discussion board made available for two weeks after the meeting so that discussion can continue as necessary.
The primary reason for the meeting is to discuss the revisions FHSU is looking to make to the general education program to strengthen students’ education.
“The General Education Committee does some assessment of the program each year,” said Paul Faber, chair of the general education committee. “Last year we also conducted a brief internet based survey of students, faculty, and alumni.”
“We will continue with further attempts to solicit ideas about the improvement of the General Education program,” Faber said. “Then the General Education Committee will try to put these ideas together into two or more alternative proposals. Early in the fall 2015 semester, these alternatives will become the focus of further public discussion. Then the General Education Committee will try to take the responses to these proposed programs and produce the final proposal.”
The final proposal will be sent to the Faculty Senate in late fall 2015 or early spring 2016.
“We hope the Faculty Senate will be able to discuss, improve, and approve a new Gen Ed program by May of 2016,” Faber said. “Presumably, in the fall of 2016 there will be issues of implementation that will have to be addressed and a new General Education program will be implemented in the fall of 2017.”
Additional town hall meetings are scheduled for January 22 and February 12.