Per a 2018 charge by Provost Mary Ann Rankin, the campus-wide Diversity Education Task Force (DETF) has completed its recommendations based on research and dozens of hours of interviews with campus constituents. A complete copy of the report can be found here. Some recommendations pertain to changes in the undergraduate General Education diversity requirements.
These include:
- Relabeling the Understanding Plural Societies (UPS)and Cultural Competence (CC) categories;
- Adding a required learning outcome on racism in the former UPS category;
- Broadening the range of behavioral outcomes in the former CC category; and
- Requiring students to take one course in each of the new categories.
For a summary of what would stay the same and what would change, please scroll to the end of this message; complete information about this proposal is included in the report on pages 13-16. The University Senate’s Educational Affairs Committee will consider the changes to General Education this spring.
In the interests of consensus-building and transparency, we invite faculty colleagues across campus to share their feedback, suggested modifications, concerns, and ideas for possible implementation regarding these changes to the GenEd diversity requirements. We have scheduled several 90-minute Zoom meetings for this purpose over the next few months:
December 2020
- Friday, December 11, 1 - 2:30 PM. Please register for the 12/11 session here.
- Wednesday, December 16, 2 - 3:30 PM. Please register for the 12/16 session here.
January - February 2021
- Tuesday, January 19, 9 - 10:30 AM. Please register for the 1/19 session here.
- Monday, February 1, 11 - 12:30 PM. Please register for the 2/1 session here.
Faculty members are welcome to attend part or all of one or more of these sessions to share their feedback, and advanced registration is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Following the sessions, a document summarizing feedback will be available for review.
We look forward to learning about your reactions and ideas as the campus undertakes this important revision to its General Education diversity requirements.
Sincerely,
Oscar Barbarin and William Cohen, DETF co-chairs
Summary of Current/Proposed General Education Diversity Requirements
| Current General Education Diversity Requirement | Proposed General Education Diversity Requirement |
| 2 courses, 4-6 credit hours | 2 courses, 4-6 credit hours |
| 2 Categories of Courses Understanding Plural Societies (UPS) Cultural Competence (CC) | 2 Categories of Courses (proposed labels)Understanding Structures of Racism & Inequality (USRI) Navigating Diverse Social Environments (NDSE) |
| Options for fulfilling requirement2 UPS courses or 1 UPS and 1 CC course | 1 USRI and 1 NDSE course |
| Courses qualify as either UPS or CC | Courses could apply for and receive both USRI and NDSE designations |
| CC courses have 1 required behavioral learning outcome | USRI courses have 1 required learning outcome on racismNDSE courses have 3 behavioral learning outcomes from which at least 1 is required |