2008 Woodie Awards
Changes to liberal studies proposed
By Sheryl McGlory
Rocket Advertising Manager
Issue date: 2/4/05 Section: News
SRU faculty members will soon vote on proposals to alter the liberal studies requirements for graduation.
The proposals for change have been brought about because of a state mandate preventing degree requirements from exceeding 120 credit hours, SRU President Robert Smith said.
Smith said that in order to allow degree programs to keep currently required core classes for students, a committee was formed to discuss possible ways to decrease the number of liberal study credit hours instead. Discussions have been ongoing for the past two years, Smith said, and three models for change have now been created.
The program revision models are titled X, Y and Z and each presents a different way to change the current liberal studies requirements.
"We've always required more liberal studies than the state requires," Smith said.
Each proposal decreases the required liberal studies credit hours by three.
One of the biggest changes is the elimination of the physical education requirements, Smith said.
"It's eliminated in all three, although you could take wellness courses for Challenges of the Modern Age," he said.
Lynn Taylor, department of physical education and sport management chairperson, said many of the faculty are concerned with the proposed changes to the physical education requirements.
"In this day and age, with everything we know about wellness and physical activity, we think it would be a shame to eliminate it," Taylor said.
Although in each of the revision models that have been created, wellness courses can be taken to meet requirements, Taylor said that at one point, the possibility of eliminating physical education requirements altogether was brought up.
"Some people said, 'Well, we have the ARC, why do we need a physical education requirement?'" Taylor said. "We all kind of laughed and said, 'Well we have the library, why do we need a liberal studies program?'"
Provost William Williams said he thinks the physical education department has such a demand from students needing to take courses to meet the current liberal studies requirements, that there is sometimes difficulty offering enough classes.
The proposals for change have been brought about because of a state mandate preventing degree requirements from exceeding 120 credit hours, SRU President Robert Smith said.
Smith said that in order to allow degree programs to keep currently required core classes for students, a committee was formed to discuss possible ways to decrease the number of liberal study credit hours instead. Discussions have been ongoing for the past two years, Smith said, and three models for change have now been created.
The program revision models are titled X, Y and Z and each presents a different way to change the current liberal studies requirements.
"We've always required more liberal studies than the state requires," Smith said.
Each proposal decreases the required liberal studies credit hours by three.
One of the biggest changes is the elimination of the physical education requirements, Smith said.
"It's eliminated in all three, although you could take wellness courses for Challenges of the Modern Age," he said.
Lynn Taylor, department of physical education and sport management chairperson, said many of the faculty are concerned with the proposed changes to the physical education requirements.
"In this day and age, with everything we know about wellness and physical activity, we think it would be a shame to eliminate it," Taylor said.
Although in each of the revision models that have been created, wellness courses can be taken to meet requirements, Taylor said that at one point, the possibility of eliminating physical education requirements altogether was brought up.
"Some people said, 'Well, we have the ARC, why do we need a physical education requirement?'" Taylor said. "We all kind of laughed and said, 'Well we have the library, why do we need a liberal studies program?'"
Provost William Williams said he thinks the physical education department has such a demand from students needing to take courses to meet the current liberal studies requirements, that there is sometimes difficulty offering enough classes.
