Administration of General Education Programs

1. Administration of General Education Programs One Size Does Not Fit All

2. A Little About CAGLS Council for the Administration of General and Liberal Studies Association for General and Liberal Studies

3. Goals for Today • Interactive—ask questions at any time • Discussion of Various Administrative Structures • Does structure matter? • Structures in Context of Campus Ethos • What are you trying to accomplish on your campus? • What are the problems or concerns at your campus? • What are the realities of your campus culture (values, politics, mission, etc.)? • Problem Solving after Problem Identification • How might the administrative structure support or hinder goals/problem-solving?

4. My Program & My Issues • Brief overview of program • GE Chair with no release time (1992-2006) • GE Chair with release time (2006-12) • Director (1/2 time) with staff support (coming attraction!)

5. Findings from Other Programs A Summary

6. Cautions • My own experiences color my view of what makes a good administrative structure. • As I summarize across different programs, what I see as desirable may be woeful in your eyes. • We must consider structure within the context of our campus culture, values, mission, view of administration, etc.

7. Who’s In Charge • Three basic patterns • Deans or Associate Deans • Directors • In most cases under these two patterns, there is also a committee or council. • General Education Committees with elected Chairs

8. Bare Bones • Committee structure • Chair is elected. • No release time for anyone • Chair and committee membership change each year; membership on staggered terms • No budget or small budget for faculty development

9. A Little More “Meat” on the Bone • Director or Chair with some release time • Director chairs committee • Director/Chair serves as resource person • Director/Chair may be voting member • Small budget allows Director & small team to attend conferences or to support innovations

10. The Plumper Fish • Director with at least 50% -75% time • Clerical help (may be student workers) • At least one other faculty with ¼ release • Budget for faculty development, travel, and some additional resources • Committee members have 3-5 year terms • Part-time assessment coordinator

11. A Whole School of Fish • A Full-time Administrator • Clerical staff • Associate Director(s) • Assessment Coordinator • Service Learning Coordinator • Substantial Budget • Ability to hire faculty or “buy” faculty from departments

12. What do you see as the advantages or disadvantages of these different structures? • Relative to: • Program coherence? • Continuous program/curricular improvement? • Assessment? • Faculty support/by-in? • Overall ability to provide a high quality general education program?

13. Advantages and Disadvantages • Program coherence? • Continuous program/curricular improvement? • Assessment? • Faculty support/by-in? • Overall ability to provide a high quality general education program?

14. Structures and Responsibilities Do they match?

15. Common Committee Responsibilities • Vary • Reviewing and approving new courses • Assessing program & • Assessing student learning • Recommending program revisions

16. Responsibilities: Directors • Vary • Chairing committee/council • Promoting faculty development • Scheduling GE courses • Overseeing first year seminars • Dealing with transfer issues • Communicating with constituencies • Writing grants • Being the “go-to” person • Assessing the program

17. Responsibilities: Deans • Vary greatly • From directing everyday operations to having only nominal involvement • From making final decisions to primarily coordinating program • Managing the budget • Communicating with higher administrators

18. Working within your culture Identifying the Problem and Finding Possible Solutions

19. An example: Assessment • What is the relationship between assessment in General Education and assessment in the disciplines at your institution? • Is assessment equally developed in both General Education and in the disciplinary departments that offer Gen Ed courses? • Does assessment in the disciplines (English, History, Math, Science, etc.) include assessment of the General Education Objectives associated with those disciplines? • Do individual departments assess their own General Education Courses? • Does one unit help or hinder the other?

20. Administration of General Education Programs What’s your scenario? One Size Does Not Fit All

21. Ongoing General Education Concerns • How would you describe your campus culture? • How does GE relate to that now? • How would GE ideally relate to that campus culture ? • What would need to be different for that ideal relationship to flower? • What is a first step you (or a group) could take to begin to move toward that ideal relationship?

22. What is the present structure and organization of GE at your campus? • Does your organizational structure promote campus-wide ownership and governance of the program? • How is GE organized at your campus? • Who is “at the table” and how do they get there? • To whom does GE report?

23. What is the present structure and organization of GE at your campus? • Does the GE director, coordinator, or chair have a clearly defined role? • Who has the power to define that role? • What are the key aspects of that role?

24. GE and the University as a Political organism • Different parts of the university have different values and trajectories. • What are the different values you see in the different parts of your campus? • How can they come together to support and enhance GE? • What different trajectories do you see in the various parts of your campus? • How can they come together to support and enhance GE?

25. What is the political terrain on your campus? • Who are your allies for your general education work? • What groups, individuals, or interests seem to be obstacles? • What are some strategies for working with those obstacles?

26. Structures in Context of Your Campus Ethos • What are you trying to accomplish on your campus? • What are the problems or concerns at your campus? • What are the realities of your campus culture (values, politics, mission, etc.) • What administrative structure might work best on your campus?

27. When considering the “best” structure … • Are you looking for leadership and continuity? • What does your campus want to accomplish? • How is a “leader” selected? • What is the role of a “leader?” • If committee or council—their role? • How are committee/council members selected? • How long do leaders, members serve? • Who is responsible for what?

28. Other Questions • Who makes decisions? • What decisions are they empowered to make? • What does it mean to have oversight? • What are the reporting lines?

29. How does campus culture and campus governance structures impact the effectiveness of the “GE in-charge” person/committee to: • carry out stated responsibilities? • conduct meaningful assessment of student learning in the program AND • use assessment results to improve the program? • review and revise the program? • review and revise program goals and learning outcomes?

30. REVISING GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS THE JOY AND THE SORROW

31. Revising General Education • Make sure the process is legitimated by the highest possible authority. • Who is that authority on your campus? • How do you get them/her/him to legitimate revising GE?

32. Revising General Education • Include representatives from all constituencies and those with divergent views. • What are the major constituencies? • On campus? • Off campus?

33. Revising General Education • Which groups are the most important stakeholders? • Which groups are the most important gatekeepers? • Which individuals are the key gatekeepers for these constituencies?

34. Revising General Education • What mutual interests do the major constituencies share that GE also shares? • How “unified” is each of the major constituencies? • What are the divergent views about GE on your campus? • How will you identify those and their representatives?

35. Revising General Education • Acknowledge resource constraints early. • What resource constraints do you face? • How will you deal with them?

36. Revising General Education • Use a piecemeal approach to reform. • What is a good first step for your campus, something that is doable and winnable?

37. POLITICAL WISDOM re Reforming Gen Ed • Make sure that the process is legitimated by the highest possible authority • Understand that the process will take much time. • Acquire expertise • Map the political terrain • Include representatives from all constituencies and those with divergent views • Reach out with your plans • Acknowledge resource constraints early. Avoid developing a model that cannot be supported financially.

38. POLITICAL WISDOM re Reforming Gen Ed, cont. • Use a piecemeal approach to reform • Focus on interests, not positions. Be flexible. See it as a process rather than an end • Develop an organizational structure that promotes university-wide ownership and governance of the program. • Take as much time as you need to take. Don’t attempt to hurry the process to fulfill some kind of arbitrary deadline.