Opportunities and Advantages for Stony Brook Administrators

The proposed General Education program goes a long way to answering a central question in the university’s Strategic Plan: “What is special about a Stony Brook student?” 

The proposed General Education program can be uniformly implemented at all undergraduate schools and colleges within the university. 

While Stony Brook is noted for the excellence of its major programs, its Diversified Education Curriculum has fallen short in a number of ways, including its scattered and piecemeal approach, its lack of interconnection, and its emphasis on covering disciplines rather than learning outcomes.

The proposed General Education program offers an integrated approach with an emphasis not only on acquiring skills and knowledge in a particular course but also on applying skills and knowledge throughout students’ academic careers. 

The new General Education program will result in students and faculty who are more committed and engaged. Faculty will be more likely to work with other faculty to jointly develop interdisciplinary courses and options.

Because Middle States now requires universities to implement a well-defined system of assessment, this new General Education program will ensure Stony Brook’s compliance with Middle States’ standards as needed by the upcoming review.