> What should all Fredonia students know? What makes a Fredonia
> educational experience unique?

> Those questions are central to the work of a new Task Force, appointed
> by President Dennis Hefner, that is charged with drafting graduation
> outcomes -- or baccalaureate goals -- for the campus this fall.

> The Task Force on Baccalaureate Goals is enthusiastic about its work
> to provide greater coherence to students’ educational experiences at
> Fredonia, said Jeanette McVicker, the group’s chair. Establishing such
> goals for the campus as a whole will foster integration of students’
> individual work in their major/minor, their studies in general
> education, and their co-curricular experiences, by providing a
> cohesive framework.  “Recognition that the learning happening outside
> the classroom -- through internships, study abroad, student
> organizations and other campus life experiences -- is fundmentally
> linked to the learning that goes on in Gen-Ed and in the major, will
> help students better understand how their knowledge and skills
> reinforce each other,” she said. Ultimately, the goals will help all
> constituent groups of the campus -- students, professional staff,
> faculty, administrators, alumni -- engage in insuring that the campus
> mission, strategic plan and other initiatives work together to achieve
> a fully learning-centered campus.

> Over the next several weeks, the task force will be inviting both
> general and specific feedback from all areas of the campus in order to
> draft a set of goals for campus-wide discussion. “It’s a daunting
> timeline,” McVicker acknowledged, “but we are confident that this work
> will build on the years of conversations about general education,
> ideas brought forth in strategic planning, and the best of the
> conversations that have emerged nationally on these issues.” The
> spring 2012 semester will provide the framework for revision and final
> adoption of baccalaureate goals for the campus, dovetailing with
> revision to the general education program and strengthening of the
> campus’s strategic plan.

> Members of the task force include faculty and professionals who bring
> a wealth of perspectives, pertinent experience and enthusiasm to the
> work, most of which will take place in this semester. They include
> Richard Reddy, Gary Bice, Sherri Mason, Juan de la Urda, Marissa Cope,
> Todd Proffitt, Michael Jabot and Jeanette McVicker.