Strategic Goal 1

There is a broad consensus that our future as a national university hinges on the establishment of a distinctive, JMU blend of liberal arts, research and professional education.

Objective 4

Pursue renewal of JMU’s core curriculum to provide all undergraduates with a high-quality General Education program.

Subobjectives

4-1. Use the 2021-22 APR to develop recommendations for revising and renewing JMU’s core curriculum to better incorporate contemporary expectations for the liberal arts and sciences. 

4-2. Expand communication and messaging about the General Education program’s role in JMU’s unique blend of liberal arts, research and professional education. 

4-3. Analyze staffing levels needed to meet SCHEV base adequacy guidelines; strategically grow full-time instructional positions to support the instructional needs of our core curriculum. 

Action Items

  1. In AY 2022-23, the Core Curriculum Appraisal Task Force (CCATF) charge was revised in response to faculty feedback. The task force established formal connections with the General Education Council and the Faculty Senate, delivered an initial faculty survey and connected with faculty leadership in all JMU colleges.

  2. In AY 2023-24, the Core Curriculum Appraisal Task Force:

    1. Facilitated broad discussions with faculty about preferences and priorities for general education renewal.

    2. Provided summaries of feedback from faculty and other stakeholders to the campus community.

  3. During the summer of 2024, JMU sent a team to the Institute on General Education, Pedagogy and Assessment (IGEPA). The team (a majority of whom were instructional faculty members) was charged with identifying and proposing general education reforms aligned with the JMU and Academic Affairs Strategic Plans.

  4. In AY 2024-25, the CCAFT used the JMU IGEPA report to develop the process for approving the new curricular structure. This process was shared with the division in April 2025. The CCATF also solicited curriculum proposals from the faculty, solicited feedback on the proposals from the faculty, and identified three faculty teams to build on a subset of the submitted ideas and develop fully articulated proposals.
The faculty teams submitted their proposals to the provost in August 2025. In AY 2025-26, the Core Curriculum Committee will facilitate a process of feedback and deliberation among faculty, staff, and students. Using university community feedback, the committee will integrate the proposals into a single proposal, which will be presented to the divisional community for their consideration. The process will culminate in submission of the new curricular structure to the BOV for their approval
Helpful Links

Go to Strategic Goals Main Page

Go to AASP Main Page

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