General Education

History of Consultative and Transparent Policy Changes

In the period of 2005-2012, General Education underwent intensive review on our campus culminating in the design of the new General Education Pathways program, approved by the Academic Senate in Spring 2010. In 2010-11, faculty and staff worked hard to take the ideas embedded in EM 10-01 and turn that into a viable curriculum.  That work included defining the intellectual themes of the Pathways, proposing and approving courses for the new program and many other tasks.

The result was a thoroughly re-envisioned program that aimed to bring faculty together in interdisciplinary communities of practice and provided intellectually coherent learning communities designed to provide a meaningful academic experience for students.  In Spring 2019, following a comprehensive five-year review (PDF) (PDF) of the program, the academic senate approved changes to the Pathways Program. Chico State students, faculty, and staff worked together to implement the senate's changes for implementation in Fall 2022.  During this implementation process, the State of California and California State University created an Ethnic Studies requirement: an Ethnic Studies ad hoc subcommittee led the process to identify Ethnic Studies courses for Fall 21, and the Academic Senate approved an Interim General Education Policy to formally create Ethnic Studies Area F at Chico State for the 2021-22 academic year and beyond.  The Interim General Education Policy was revised and replaced with a permanent policy following a consultative and transparent process.

The program is managed by a faculty-led GE Curriculum Advisory Board, which includes representatives of all colleges and Pathway coordinators who ensure the intellectual coherence of the program, its smooth functioning and its ongoing assessment.