Present: Faculty—Bruce, Dohse, Friedenberg, Hardy, Konz, Krumpe, Lee, McKnight, Nelms, Pons, Rizzo, Ruiz, White-Carter, Katz; Students—Spencer; Alumni--Clere

1. Listening projects update—Katz updated the progress on the listening projects, noting that the Faculty Forum was the top priority and would provide a way to kick off the listening-project effort.

2. Team assignments—Everyone has received the listening-project team assignments. Task Force members were comfortable with the departments they are to visit. It was clarified that team members would not be visiting their own departments, so that they too might participate as faculty members in the listening-project experience.

3. Faculty Forum—We spent considerable time discussing the format of the Faculty Forum. Several members of the task force expressed the view that our approach at the forum should be flexible, to suit the number of people who turn out at the event, their particular interests and concerns. It will be best to have 2 or more strategies depending on the number of people in attendance. Many task force members observed that it might be best not to be too formal in structuring our conversation on Friday, but not so informal that we don’t acquire useful input. Katz expressed his gratitude for all the insight into format and approach.

It was recommended that there be hard copies of the Mission Statement and Goals Statement for faculty to take with them. Also Katz should provide the website URL via faculty listserv. Finally, we should have comment sheets on which faculty can write additional views, opinions, ideas, etc.

Katz said that he will offer a brief introduction, using the website to convey what the GERTF has done so far and to discuss what we will be doing this year. GERTF members offered the following as topics that should be covered briefly in the introduction: what we’ve done as part of the SACS effort; an introduction to the mission and goals statements as drafts subject to revision; an introduction to the directive recommendations with a call for faculty input; our discussion of the APC reports with emphasis on the view that there is currently no defined, agreed-upon vision for general education; the listening projects and team visits, with a comment on their purpose. Drs. McKnight and Friedenberg said that we should stress that GERTF has no agenda, that everything in the General Education curriculum is on the table, that change is possible, and that nothing has currently been decided. Katz thanked the task force for their insight and help.

4. George Lucas, AALE—Dr. Pons presented on the visit by George Lucas of the American Academy for Liberal Education. The AALE is the organization that worked on the FIPSE project on Liberal Arts schools in the US. Scott Lee of AALE visited us last year for this project, during which time he met with the GERTF. AALE is also a new accreditation agency with an emphasis on accrediting special programs, especially General Education programs at Liberal Arts schools. Lucas will be coming here on 21 September to discuss the AALE accreditation program and to offer us information on what is being done in General Education curricula around the country. For this reason, it might be useful for GERTF members to meet with him, as a sort of information gathering opportunity. Lucas will meet with GERTF members on Friday, 21 September, at 4 pm in the Laurel Forum. We should make every effort to attend.

5. Student Forums—Maegan Spencer reported on her meeting with Katz, where they discussed the creation of student forums on General Education to parallel those offered for the faculty. She discussed the creation of a subcommittee of students, possibly chaired by her and Sarah Clere, which would work on this project. She said that they might work on setting up a website and discussion forum for students like the one GERTF currently has. She also said that she would work to create a series of student discussion forums, when the time was right, and would use the Banner to publicize the General Education issue among students. Dr. Friedenberg offered several ways in which Maegan might contact students interested in participating.

6. APC Report: The Status of General Education at UNCA: A Summary Report by APC—We spent so much time on the Faculty Forum that discussion of this report was tabled until the next meeting.

7. VCAA Search—Dr. Nelms, who is serving on the VCAA search committee, updated GERTF on the search. She said that she has discussed with the Chair of the committee and with committee members the importance of General Education when it comes to evaluating candidates. She will continue to update us as their work continues.

8. The next GERTF meeting will be 19 September 2001, 4:30-5:30 in the Red Oak Room. The meeting with George Lucas will be on 21 September, at 4 pm in the Laurel Forum.