University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 19, Feb. 13, 1997
Education committee formed

     A new University-wide committee, appointed by the Faculty
Senate, is examining the general education component of a UD
education, defining its objectives and proposing a strategy to
meet them.
     Carol Hoffecker, Richards Professor of History, chairs the
General Education Committee, whose members include Margaret
Andersen, provost's office; Joan Brown, foreign languages and
literatures; Linda Bucher, nursing; Robert Denhardt, Charles P.
Messick Professor of Public Administration; Alan Fox, philosophy;
William Frawley, linguistics; Marcia Halio, English; Beth
Haslett, communication; Sherry Kitto, plant and soil sciences;
Vivian Klaff, sociology; Christine Kydd, business administration;
Ann McNeil, physical education; Carole Marks, Black American
Studies Program; Mark Miller, foreign languages and literatures;
David Olagunju, mathematical sciences; Robin Palkovitz,
individual and family studies; Georgia Pyrros, mathematical
sciences; Roland Smith, student life; Robert Taggart, educational
studies; Hal White, chemistry and biochemistry; and Andrew
Zydney, chemical engineering.
     The committee, Hoffecker said, expects to complete its work
late in the coming academic year.
     The committee's purpose, she said, is to define clear
objectives for the general education of UD students and to
propose a strategy to achieve those objectives.
     The central goals of the committee are to make the UD
attractive to academically serious students and to provide them
with the skills, knowledge and commitment to learning that
underlie success in every academic field.
     As part of its task, Hoffecker explained, the committee will
examine freshman-year programs and similar approaches to general
education that have been instituted at other colleges and
universities. But, while UD can learn from both the successes and
the mistakes of others, the committee's aim is to produce a
distinctive plan for UD that focuses on this institution's unique
character, strengths and advantages, she said.
     Because this endeavor is of vital interest and importance to
every member of the faculty, the General Education Committee will
conduct its work as publicly as possible, Hoffecker said.
     It proposes to use e-mail, articles in UpDate and open
meetings to keep the faculty abreast of its activities, and all
faculty members are encouraged to communicate their views to
members of the committee at any time.
     Hoffecker can be reached at 831-2375 or through e-mail at
Carol.Hoffecker@mvs.udel.edu