From: Robert Mercer (mercerr@pdx.edu)
To: Maureen Sevigny (sevignym@oit.edu)
Subject: RE: Question on Gen Ed at PSU

Hi Maureen---sorry to be slow in responding. I took a few days off and am just getting to my emails.

The one thing---or maybe one of the things--that makes this harder to articulate is the distinction that we make (and have always made) between the general education requirements and the degree (BA/BS) requirements. While the AAOT always counted as meeting the old general education requirements, it didn't necessarily meet the BA or BS requirements. This was always confusing to transfer students---and still is even with our new general education requirements.

When we switched to the new University Studies model of general education, we realized that we were requiring courses at the freshman and sophomore level that weren't offered anywhere else (unlike the old distribution requirements which were fairly universal across the State; and were the basis for the AAOT). Because we couldn't require transfer students to start their general education requirements with the freshman sequence, a decision was made to place students in the University Studies/gen ed model based on the number of transferrable credits they have on admission to PSU. For us that diminished the value of the AAOT, in that any student with 90 transferrable credits was placed into University Studies at the same spot that an AAOT student.

We've always checked the BA or BS requirements for every student---as I say, the AAOT doesn't automatically fulfill either of those. I suspect the other OUS schools also did/do the same thing. Our BA requirements are;

28 credits to include a minimum of 12 in arts and letters, with at least 4 of those in fine and performing arts; a minimum of 12 credits in social science or science; with at least 4 of those in science or math; and 4 credits in foreign language numbered 203 or higher

Our BS requirements are;

28 credits to include a minimum of 12 credits in sciences, with at least 8 of those lab science; a minimum of 12 credits in arts and letters and/or social sciences, and 4 credits in college-level mathematics.

The courses that you propose would certainly apply for either the BA or BS; but wouldn't meet the full requirements. While our students get writing intensive courses in their freshman and sophomore gen ed, it does make sense to strongly encourage transfter students to get strong writing skills.

I know that we're sort of the odd man out as far as how we'd fit into a Stae-wide gen ed certificate. I'm going to try and get to the september meeting. Let me know how I can clarify any of this. Robert