The real difficulty of changing the course of any enterprise lies not in developing new ideas but in escaping from the old ones. John Maynard Keynes

The present purpose of this General Education Review is not to change anything. It is to come to some agreement about what the College of Charleston general education program should accomplish for the graduates of the college. I would expect that once that is done, we would look to see the extent to which our program conforms to its mission. If at that time changes are perceived to be necessary, we the faculty will move to make those changes.
This college professes to be a liberal arts and sciences institution. Many, many institutions profess the same mission -- even the University of South Carolina and the Citadel profess to be liberal arts and sciences institutions. However, this institution has given more than lip-service to that mission. We are dedicated to the concept that a liberal arts and science education is at the very heart of our mission. And in many ways we confirm our commitment to the liberal arts and sciences in such ways as the large number of general education courses we require for graduation, the two-year language requirement, the numerous interdisciplinary courses and programs, etc.
Nevertheless, two things are heavy on the minds of many of us. First, we all have to understand and agree on what general education is and how it contributes to a liberal arts and sciences education. Second, we must all know what is being provided to students in the general education courses currently being taught. Finally, we have to develop some method of assessing those courses for their specific purposes.
At this point, however, it is most important that we put aside our disciplinary loyalties, our preconceived notions, our prejudices, and anything else that might stand in the way of looking at the issue of general education with fresh eyes and an open mind.
Clearly, there are a few things we should know:
1. What do we want our students to know?
2. What are the absolute minimum skill requirements we want our students to have?
3. What are the most effective ways students learn?
4. What experiences and how many credits are needed to ensure that students have acquired the requisit knowledge, skills, and values associated with a college graduate?
5. How can we use the new educational delivery systems in our general education program?

I think you are all aware that we have a real opportunity to develop a very special, perhaps even unique, niche in public higher education through a strong, well thought out general education program.