SUS-FCS GENERAL EDUCATION CORE COURSE OPTIONS The State of Florida Statute 1007.25 regarding General Education was revised in 2012 to improve articulation and reduce excess hours for students entering the State University System (SUS) and Florida College System (FCS) as of the 2014-15 academic year and thereafter. The current general education program requires a total of 36 credit hours in the five areas of communication, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences, with institutional determination of the courses meeting these requirements. The 2012 revision reduces the number of credits to 30 and requires that 15 of these must be chosen from a determined set of 25 courses (the General Education Core) consisting of 5 courses in each of the 5 categories. The Board of Governors and Department of Education have established a process for determining the core courses which must be completed in time for the 2014 implementation date. The process will be directed (under guidance from the BoG and DoE) by a Steering Committee consisting of representatives from 5 SUS and 5 FCS institutions. In addition 5 Faculty Committees will be formed to make recommendations of the actual courses to be included in the core. Each institution is required to nominate one faculty member in each of the 5 areas to serve on the faculty committees. The Steering Committee will make the final decision on the composition of these committees. The faculty committees should complete their work by the latest April 2013 after which each institution will need to make any changes that are necessary to accommodate the new configuration of the general education program. However, to be prepared to make the necessary changes, we need to start reviewing our program now. A website for this project has been established at http://www.fldoe.org/articulation/hb7135gep.asp. Information on the statute, implementation process and decisions made are posted there and will be updated regularly. In addition, the Faculty Senate will receive regular updates on developments in this project.
FACULTY COMMITTEES UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA NOMINEES In order to start working on this project very shortly, we need to submit a slate of 5 candidates for the faculty committees to the BoG by Sept. 14. The following faculty have been approved by the General Education Committee to be the UF nominees. Communication Fiona Barnes, Ph.D. Director of Business Communication Director, Center for Management Communication Warrington College of Business Administration Humanities Brenda Smith, Ph.D. Associate Professor School of Music College of Fine Arts Mathematics Rick Smith, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Associate Chair Department of Mathematics Natural Sciences David Julian, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Biology Social Sciences John Krigbaum, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator Department of Anthropology
ENROLLED House Bill 7135, Engrossed 1 [Relevant sections] 2012 Legislature 1007.23 Statewide articulation agreement. (3) To improve articulation and reduce excess credit hours, beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution in 2013-2014 and thereafter, the articulation agreement must require each student who is seeking an associate in arts degree to indicate a baccalaureate degree program offered by an institution of interest by the time the student earns 30 semester hours. The institution in which the student is enrolled shall inform the student of the prerequisites for the baccalaureate degree program offered by an institution of interest. Section 10. Subsections (3), (6), (7), (8), and (10) of section 1007.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites; other degree requirements. (3) The chair of the State Board of Education and the chair of the Board of Governors, or their designees, department shall jointly appoint faculty committees to identify statewide those courses that meet general education core course options. General education core course options shall consist of a maximum of five courses requirements within each of the subject areas of communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Each general education core course option must contain high-level academic and critical thinking skills and common competencies that students must demonstrate to successfully complete the course. Beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in 2014-2015 and thereafter, each student must complete at least one identified core course in each subject
area as part of the general education course requirements. All public postsecondary educational institutions shall offer and accept these courses as meeting general education core course requirements. The remaining general education course requirements courses shall be identified by each institution and reported to the department by their statewide course code number. The general education core course options shall be adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and in regulation by the Board of Governors. All public postsecondary educational institutions shall accept these general education courses. (6) The boards of trustees of the Florida College System institutions shall identify their core curricula, which shall include courses required by the State Board of Education. The boards of trustees of the state universities shall identify their core curricula, which shall include courses required by the Board of Governors. The universities and Florida College System institutions shall work with their school districts to ensure assure that high school curricula coordinate with the general education core curricula and to prepare students for college-level work. General educationcore curricula for associate in arts programs shall be identified by each institution adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and, beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in 2014-2015 and thereafter, shall include 30 36 semester hours of general education courses in the subject areas of communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.
(7) An associate in arts degree shall require no more than 60 semester hours of college credit and, beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in 2014-2015 and thereafter, include 30 including 36 semester hours of general education coursework and demonstration of competency in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262. Except for college-preparatory coursework required pursuant to s. 1008.30, all required coursework shall count toward the associate in arts degree or the baccalaureate degree. (8) A baccalaureate degree program shall require no more than 120 semester hours of college credit and, beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution or state university in 2014-2015 and thereafter, include 30 including 36 semester hours of general education coursework, unless prior approval has been granted by the Board of Governors for baccalaureate degree programs offered by state universities and by the State Board of Education for baccalaureate degree programs offered by Florida College System institutions.