Mission Statement
General Education is a critical component of students' academic and personal development. The General Education program endeavors to develop the following three separate, but related and equally important qualities in our students:
- A knowledge and understanding of themselves, their social and natural environment and a wide range of cultural achievements. General Education courses provide students with an opportunity to acquire knowledge about their own bodies and minds and about human kind's common heritage and cultural achievements. The General Education program also enable students to develop global perspectives; to develop common commitments and mutual respect among diverse social, cultural and ethnic groups; to establish an understanding of the biological and physical aspects of the world and the universe; and to nurture an understanding of environmental responsibilities.
- A firm command of communication and analytical skills. The General Education program develops the ability of students to think clearly and logically, to find and examine information, to communicate effectively in oral and written form, and to perform quantitative analysis. The General Education program also cultivates the students' ability to reason critically, to solve problems creatively and to understand the major methods of intellectual inquiry.
- A moral commitment to their fellow human beings and an awareness of ethical and social concerns.
The General Education program emphasizes the interdependence of individuals with the human community and the natural world by focusing on the knowledge, experiences, relationships and ethical concerns common to all people. In affirming the community's claim on its individual members, General Education courses explore shared and diverse cultural heritages and an agenda of common and pressing contemporary problems, cultivate mutual responsibilities to the commonwealth, and stimulate commitments to moral values and ethical behavior. Consistent with the mission of the University, the purposes of General Education are to provide a knowledge and understanding of common problems, experiences and traditions that will enhance students' participation in a culturally diverse global society, and to provide an assessment of finite resources, communicating knowledge through completing the lower division GE program.