Ava Weinreis
The controversial curriculum plan failed with 62 opposed votes.
The University of Minnesota Faculty Senate voted against updating the core curriculum requirements for undergraduate students at the Twin Cities campus at a meeting April 3. The official vote was 42 in favor and 62 opposed.
The curriculum would have created a new multidisciplinary synthesis required for all students and changed the general education requirements for students beginning in the fall of 2027.
The plan was first introduced at the December senate meeting before being open for debate at the February and March senate meetings. Faculty and students have spoken for and against the resolution.
JB Shank, chair of the CLA Assembly, presented mixed feedback from the college. He said he heard a lot of undergraduate students who praised the proposed curriculum for being innovative, but faculty in the English department opposed the curriculum for not requiring a literature foundations course.
“There’s a widespread, if not universal, opposition among the tenure line faculty across the college,” Shank said. “I get nothing but negative responses to this.”
The plan would introduce focus areas in equity, environment, civil life and well-being. Each student would pick and take three courses in a focus area before taking a multidisciplinary synthesis in their senior year.
Shank said the biggest concern was the vague language in the proposal and the move away from traditional disciplinary and teaching methods for liberal arts requirements.
Others questioned how the curriculum would be staffed and were concerned the focus areas would feel like an additional minor for students.
Will Durfee, co-chair of the task force, said the disagreement does not surprise him.
“There is never gonna be faculty unity on matters of curriculum,” Durfee said.
Dufree said one hope of the curriculum was to end the mentality of box-checking when picking core classes.
Kathryn Pearson, the co-chair of the taskforce, said prior to voting, this proposal was supported throughout the University from conversations with faculty and students.
“The faculty own the curriculum, and this change would make a positive impact on the University of Minnesota in this time of uncertainty for universities across the country,” Pearson said.
The current liberal education requirements will still be required for all students moving forward, but every liberal education course will go through a scheduled recertification process in fall 2025, where each course will be evaluated to ensure it still fits as an individual liberal education course.