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UMass Dartmouth General Education Task Force and Steering Committee records

 Collection
Identifier: URC-057

Scope and Contents

The collection is comprised of mostly emails, and administration materials, used by the General Education Task Force to create a new curriculum replacing the outdated one that had previously been in place; back during the universities history as Southern Massachusetts University. There is also documented, class suggestions from all of the colleges, detailing potential classes that they could incorporate into this program. Another important addition to this collection is the contribution that SMU/UMASS students contributed to this program. Back in the 1980’s many of the Task Force heads wanted to incorporate student’s voices into this new program as well, allowing them to have a say in the curriculum.

Dates

  • 1982 - 2008

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted.

Biographical / Historical

The major curricular development of the 1980’s was the attempt to create a comprehensive general education program to replace the University’s decentralized system of distribution requirements. The effort was coordinated through the office of the dean of faculty, Dr. Donald Douglas. (“Trials and Triumph”, page 129) The General Education Task Force was created with all the heads of the university’s intertwining college; and under the direction of Dr. Douglas they started planning a new curriculum. A curriculum designed for future students, at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. After several years of planning, task force reports, and broad-based involvement of faculty and administrators, a final plan was presented for adoption, but was ultimately withdrawn. The proposed general education program foundered on the issues of curricular space in the professional colleges, especially engineering, and the approved procedures of the Faculty Education. A decade later, under the pressure of the University’s accrediting agency, the Faculty Senate steered through a compromise program which was adopted in 1997. (“Trials and Triumph”, page 130)

Extent

.6 Linear Feet (one and one half manuscript boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection contains documents on meetings, emails, and papers concerning the General Education Task Force Committee and its members.

Processing Information

Processed in November 2012, by Taylor Newton ‘16. Revised with additions by Judy Farrar in May 2019.

Title
UMass Dartmouth General Education Task Force and Steering Committee records
Status
Completed
Author
Taylor Newton
Date
November 2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Edition statement
Second edition

Repository Details

Part of the Claire T. Carney Library Archives and Special Collections, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Repository

Contact:
285 Old Westport Rd.
N. Dartmouth MA 02747 USA