Skip to main content


Repost Message will copy the article into draft mode and enable you to edit/change dates and information.
Do not change the dates of this posting because it will affect the original.

MCC Daily Tribune

Is SUNY Gen Ed Changing??

Yes it is! Kind of... A committee of 10 faculty from across the state and 3 SUNY System people have been working since last summer to update our current SUNY Gen Ed to align with Middle States and to provide students with "knowledge and skills required for a 21st century citizenship".

Stage 1 was to create a white paper document (a white paper gives facts and included an environmental scan of various college and system gen ed plans). This white paper was released during the fall semester. The committee is currently working on a green paper document (a green paper gives recommendations). The recommendations are planned for two phases, immediate needs and long term changes. These recommendations will be given to the SUNY Provost and stage 2 will be to form a task force to enact any recommendations the Provost approves.

Short term recommendations include:

  1. Decrease the required number of credit hours of SUNY General Education, possibly to as few as 21 credits.
  2. Allow SUNY General Education fulfillment across four years - this has to be further refined as to how it applies to state-op vs. cc students.
  3. Require scientific reasoning (a Middle States Requirement) in addition to current requirements for communication and math categories.
  4. Encourage campuses to infuse Middle State competencies on diversity and ethics to maximize the use of local offerings.
  5. Maintain the requirement for completion of 7 of 10 category requirements.
  6. Maintain no more than 10 substantive categories.

Long term recommendations include:

  1. Modify/combine categories to allow for a more explicitly stated diversity category.
  2. Modify Info management competency with 21st century language.
  3. (Perhaps) create a competency for ethical reasoning (Middle States)
  4. Modify some category Learning Outcomes to be more measurable and make their language more fitting for the 21st century student.
  5. SUNY should encourage innovation in meeting SUNY General Education by sponsoring conferences where campuses can share their own expressions of general education and learn from national models of general education.

Remember these are only recommendations!! There will be a comment period for the green paper document and recommendations but if you have any questions please let me know! cfogal@monroecc.edu

    Christine Fogal
    Mathematics
    02/08/2019