Background
The University Honors College (HON) has been in operation since 1969 with a focus on academic writing and research. In 1994, moving away from a distribution model of general education, PSU adopted an integrative model of general education, the University Studies (UNST) program. The 4-year UNST Program replaced a distribution model that included disciplinary requirements, a writing requirement and a diversity requirement.
The UNST program was very innovative for its time and generated a lot of excitement at and beyond PSU. For example, the implementation of freshmen experiences that both create community and provide students with skills for success in college is now quite commonplace across US campuses due in part to the work of our colleagues. Within a few years after implementing the new program, however, faculty had concerns about whether all expectations for a bachelor’s degree were being met. In response to those concerns, the Faculty Senate changed the BA and BS requirements to include disciplinary distribution requirements. The writing requirement was eventually restored as a graduation requirement for transfer students (UNST and HON meet students’ writing requirements). The Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement was adopted to ensure a specific focus on race as part of a student’s experience at PSU.
As a result, we now have a hybrid system: the University Studies or Honors 4-year integrative program and the university’s distribution-model graduation and degree requirements. One major goal of Gen Ed reform will be to find a way to simplify the current system without sacrificing the goals of general education.