January 4, 2017: Pre-planning Open Forum on Liberal Education

Dear Colleagues,

As mentioned in Provost Hanson's memo of December 15, 2016, the University is starting to discuss a possible redesign of our liberal education requirements.

On January 30, 2017, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., we will hold the first of several pre-planning open forums to gather the faculty, instructional staff, and advisors' views on Liberal Education. This first forum will take place in the Great Hall of Coffman Union. At each forum we will ask attendees to gather into small discussion groups to address the following questions:

  1. Beyond disciplinary competency, what are the most important attributes (knowledge, perspectives, and skills) that should characterize U of M graduates and be addressed in a new liberal education curriculum?
  2. How should the curriculum be designed in order to help students cultivate these attributes?
  3. Reflecting on the current liberal education curriculum: Are there components that should be retained? Is there anything that is overemphasized? Is there anything that is missing?

The goal of these open forums is to develop a consensus document that pulls together common themes that emerge from the faculty discussions. This document will assist planning for the future of liberal education on our campus.

So we can plan appropriately, we ask that you RSVP here by January 16 for the January 30 forum. Additional sessions will be held throughout the spring semester.

In advance, we thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,
Karen Hanson
Executive Vice President and Provost

Robert B. McMaster
Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education

Sue Wick
Chair, Senate Committee on Educational Policy
(on behalf of the committee)

email sent January 4, 2017 to Twin Cities faculty, instructors, lecturers, teaching specialists, and advisors.