Ellie Heider
Contributing Writer
Dominican faculty’s proposal to change core curriculum could alter the number and type of required classes for future students.
The current core curriculum at Dominican consists of classes in critical reading, writing, and speaking (CRWS), language, mathematics, technology, semester-long seminars, area studies (fine arts, history, literature, natural science, philosophy, social science, and theology), and diversity/multicultural studies.
The changes faculty are considering will reduce the number of classes required, increase connection with students’ major or minor, add the concept of “tagging” to classes, and a larger emphasis on career development. The hours in the core curriculum will be reduced as well, according to Jennifer Dunn, communication professor and president of the Dominican Faculty Senate.
Sheila Bauer-Gatsos, an English professor who led the creation of the proposal, said that reduction to the size of the core curriculum will allow students to take courses better suited to their needs. She also said that increased integration allows students to see how their core requirements come together and the emphasis on career development will help students outside of Dominican and after graduation.
This will impact the incoming students at Dominican in the fall 2024 and spring 2025. This new change would also apply to all new students such as transfers and freshmen. No existing students will have to complete the new core, Dunn said.
The process of changing the core curriculum included a summer work group, composed of faculty members that attended an educational conference from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Based on guidance and consultation the revisions were made, said Dunn.
According to Dunn, there were ongoing revisions from 2012 to 2019 during the time Donna Carroll was president. When Glena Temple became president, she asked for more reductions in the core size.
The changes passed in the faculty senate are moving to the collegium, a voting group of all full-time faculty members. This is the final phase it needs to go through before it would be implemented.
Eight student focus groups were held between Sept. 30 and Oct. 19, 2022, and the feedback from students was somewhat critical, but mostly positive, Bauer-Gatsos said.
“Students are excited about the extra flexibility” in the proposed core curriculum, she said.
Carson Harvey, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), could not be reached for comment.
eheider@my.dom.edu
