General Education Bylaws (Committee on)

1. Objective

   1. To ensure that the general education curriculum is consistent with the mission of Western Connecticut State University, the State of Connecticut’s general education requirements, and the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accreditation standards.

2.  Responsibilities

   1. Review regularly the general education requirements in light of current scholarly work on the subject, the University’s mission, State mandates and recommendations, NECHE accreditation standards, and measures of effectiveness.
   2. Recommend general education goals and objectives as well as general education curricular changes to the Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum and Academic Standards (CUCAS)[1]. Such recommendations, if endorsed by CUCAS, shall be forwarded to the University Senate for appropriate action.
   3. Assess and ensure, in consultation with the Assessment Committee, that the outcomes of the general education program are directly related to established goals and objectives.
   4. Review existing general education courses to ensure that they meet established goals and objectives and advise academic departments and Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs accordingly.
   5. Review and monitor the university’s policies regarding general education transfer credits to ensure that they meet established goals and objectives.
   6. Course Review Responsibilities:
      1. Review and determine if newly proposed general education courses meet established goals and objectives before they are forwarded to CUCAS.
      2. Review and determine if Faculty Developed Courses meet established goals and objectives following the approval of such courses through normal procedures, if such courses are intended to meet general education requirements.
      3. Review and determine if Student Independent Study Courses meet established goals and objectives following the approval of such courses through normal procedures, if such courses are intended to meet general education requirements.
      4. Review and determine if Guided Reading Courses meet established goals and objectives following the approval of such courses through normal procedures, if such courses are intended to meet general education requirements.
   7. Review and monitor the First Year Experience Program

3. Membership (10 voting, 1 non-voting)

   1. One (1) from and elected by the teaching faculty of the Ancell School of Business for a three-year term.
   2. One (1) from and elected by the teaching faculty of the School of Professional Studies for a three-year term.
   3. Two (2) from and elected by the teaching faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences for three-year terms.
   4. One (1) from and elected by the teaching faculty of the School of Visual and Performing Arts (SVPA) for a three-year term.
   5. One (1) at-large from and elected by the teaching faculty for a three-year term.
   6. One (1) from and elected by the library faculty for a three-year term.
   7. One (1) school dean (Ancell, MSAS, PS, or SVPA) designated by the Provost to serve a one-year term.
   8. One (1) undergraduate student selected by the Student Government Association (SGA) for a one-year term.
   9. One (1) non-voting member from CUCAS designated by the Chairperson of CUCAS.
   10. Coordinator of the First Year Experience Program. [2}

4. Conduct of Business

   1. The Chairperson shall call the meetings of the Committee. In the absence of the Chairperson, his or her designee shall call the meetings, except as noted in item V. A of these bylaws.
   2. A quorum shall consist of no fewer than one-half (1/2) of the voting members. Unfilled positions, if any, shall not be counted in determining quorum.
   3. Regular meetings shall be held once a month during the fall and spring semesters. Such meetings shall be held on the first Thursday of the month, unless otherwise agreed to by two-third (2/3) or more of all the members.
   4. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson.
   5. The call to meetings, accompanied by the agenda, shall be delivered to Committee members not less than three days prior to each meeting.
   6. Decisions of the Committee shall be made by majority vote of the members present.
   7. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
   8. No meeting shall be held in executive session.
   9. When it is not possible for a committee member to attend in person, attendance and participation for meetings may occur either when members are physically present or via audio/web conference (WebEx, Skype, etc.).
   10. If all members are physically present for a meeting, then voting will occur by voice vote. If meetings are held via audio/web conferencing, or if some members are participating remotely and others are physically present, then a roll call vote will be conducted.
   11. In the event that a vote is required between meetings an email vote will be conducted. The motion and results of the voting will be recorded in the next meeting minutes as a roll call vote.

5.  Officers

   1. The Chairperson for the following year shall be elected at the last meeting of the academic year from and by the voting members of the following year. In the absence of a Chairperson, the President of the University Senate shall designate a member to convene a meeting of the Committee for the purpose of electing a Chairperson.
   2. The position of Secretary shall be filled by each member, excluding the Chairperson, on an alphabetical rotating basis, unless otherwise agreed to by the Committee.

6. First Year Experience Program Coordinator

   The Coordinator of the First Year Experience Program:

   1. Shall be a full-time faculty member recommended by the Committee on General Education and appointed by the Provost, and
   2. Shall receive no less than six (6) hours of release time per calendar year. Allocation for additional release time hours shall be recommended by the Committee on General Education as program growth requires.
   3. The Coordinator’s responsibilities shall include:
      1. Coordinating the First Year Experience Program.
      2. Identifying, recruiting, and retaining faculty to teach First Year Experience courses.
      3. Supporting faculty teaching First Year Experience courses.
      4. Working collaboratively with appropriate campus constituencies.
      5. Assessing First Year Experience Program impact.

7.  Reports

   1. The Committee, through its Chairperson, shall report all policy recommendations to the University Senate. Such recommendations, when appropriate, shall be endorsed by CUCAS and/or the University Planning and Budget Committee (UPBC), before the University Senate acts upon them.
   2. The Committee shall submit an annual report to the University Senate.

8. Minutes

   1. Minutes of the meetings shall be distributed to:
      1. All members of the committee
      2. School deans and department chairpersons
      3. University Senate Archivist
      4. Provost
   2. Minutes shall also be published by such means as practical (university-email system, web page, etc.)

9. Amendments

   These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present at any regularly scheduled meeting at which there is a quorum and with the subsequent approval of the University Senate and the University President

[1] “Goals and objectives” in these bylaws refer to the goals and objectives of the general education program.

[2] The Coordinator shall receive a minimum of six (6) hours of release time per calendar year. Allocation for additional release time hours will be recommended by the Committee on General Education when program growth necessitates it