Managing General Education

The authority for designing the structure of Lehman’s General Education Program, for requiring courses and other aspects of the program, and for maintaining, assessing, and improving the program rests with the Academic Senate. As with all curriculum matters, the decision on what courses to offer and require rests with the faculty, students, and administrators who serve on the Senate.

The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, a standing subcommittee of the Senate consisting of faculty, students, and an administrator, conducts oversight of the details of the Program. Certain curriculum changes to the General Education Program must be approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees and then by the N.Y. State Department of Education. The Lehman Senate and the CUNY Board of Trustees approved the current General Education Program in spring 2002. The current General Education Requirements became effective for students matriculating in or after the fall 2002 semester.

The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee assigns various details and day-to-day management of the General Education Program to the Lehman College General Education coordinator. The duties of the coordinator include overseeing and evaluating the Gen. Ed. curriculum course offerings, with special attention to the courses and sections that do not fall under the direct supervision of academic departments. These interdepartmental course offerings include the capstone LEH300 and LEH301 courses and the Writing Intensive sections.

The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee reviews the list of courses included in the Distribution Areas every three years. During this review all courses are evaluated for their suitability and effectiveness in meeting the goals and learning objectives of their particular Distribution Area. This process of Course Assessment takes place independently of departmental evaluation of courses and assessment of student learning. The most recent review of the Distribution Area courses took place in the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee entertains proposals from academic departments for new courses to be added to the Distribution Area lists or for other changes in the lists.

An executive committee called the General Education Liaisons assists the Coordinator of General Education in fulfilling his or her duties. The Liaisons consist of seven faculty members (one for each of the Distributions Areas), a faculty member representing the Natural Sciences, and a faculty member representing the capstone LEH300-LEH301 courses. The coordinator chairs the Committee of Liaisons, the Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee serves as ex-officio, as does a faculty member who is an evaluation and assessment specialist. The General Education Liaisons are appointed for renewable annual service.