The FSEC, at its last meeting of the fall semester on Dec. 16, unanimously approved a resolution expressing appreciation for the SUNY Trustees' extensive consultations in the development of standards for the undergraduate academic program. On the other hand, the resolution also expressed regret that the standards adopted by the trustees were not made available for comment by faculty in advance.

The SUNY Trustees on Dec. 15 adopted a general-education curriculum that requires candidates for bachelor's degrees to complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework in mathematics, natural science, social science, American history, western civilization, other world civilizations, humanities and the arts, foreign languages, basic communication and reasoning, and information management.

The requirement will apply to all freshmen entering SUNY institutions in Fall 2000. Trustees left the responsibility for establishing the specific course requirements and content of the curriculum to the faculty of each institution.

President William R. Greiner told FSEC members that although discussion on the topic of general education had been going on within SUNY for about two years and had involved the SUNY Faculty Senate, as well as some individual UB faculty members, he had expected that the final proposal on general-education requirements from SUNY Provost Peter Salins would be submitted to the individual campuses for comment before going to the trustees for action.

But the final proposal came "very quickly," and was submitted by Salins directly to the trustees for action, Greiner reported.

He called that action "not an insignificant event for state university.

"I can't recall the SUNY Trustees at any time in the past adopting a specific curriculum proposal," he said.

"My sense is that the expectation, especially on a curricular matter, is that it would have been referred to the campuses and campus officers would have referred it to the faculty, who would have respondedŠthat was not the way it was done," Greiner said.

"My main concern," he added, "is you folks were not afforded an opportunity" to respond.

Neither Greiner nor Nicolas Goodman, vice provost for undergraduate education, found fault with the substance of the curriculum per se.

"It's an entirely unremarkable, conservative, perfectly acceptable outline of a general-education curriculum," Greiner said, calling the general-education requirements of UB's College of Arts and Sciences "somewhat more expansive" but "consistent at every turn" with those approved by the trustees.

The problem, he said, is that "something of this substance was adopted by the trustees without the active engagement of the campuses."

Goodman agreed with Greiner that the curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences already conforms to the trustees' approved curriculum, noting that his office intends to bring undergraduates in schools and colleges other than Arts and Sciences "on board" with the general-education requirements of the new college.

Goodman did note, however, that the language requirement in the trustees' plan could prove to be a "sticking point" for students in professional schools such as engineering and architecture, but that likely could be worked out with Salins' office.

"I don't see this (general-education curriculum) as a crisis in substance, although it is absolutely outrageous that this was adopted without letting anybody (the campuses) know ahead of time," Goodman added.

William Baumer, professor of philosophy, suggested the FSEC "go on record" acknowledging the extensive consultation process that went on in the development of the standards for the undergraduate academic program, but also expressing its "regret they (trustees) put this set of criteria before themselves for action without giving the faculty of the university the opportunity to comment.

"If all we do is scream 'you screwed up the process,' we are going to make ourselves look like fools" because central administration afforded the SUNY Faculty Senate and other groups many opportunities to participate in the discussion, Baumer said.

"I think the one place where we can fault the process isŠthis rather precipitous action" by the trustees.

Powhatan Wooldridge, associate professor of nursing, urged senators to separate their views regarding the process from their views regarding the substance.

"I do think it is possible to condemn the process without necessarily condemning the outcome," he said.

The resolution introduced by Baumer "complements" the beginning of the process, which Wooldridge described as collegial and consultative, and "condemns" the final resolution of that process, "which is simply an unwarranted, unkindly, inappropriate, counterproductive and noncollegial way to end what had a good beginning."

Greiner asked senators to study the substance of the trustees' general-education curriculum so UB can give a "very careful, very measured response to all of this.

"All right, so they didn't ask us in advance; but we ought to treat it as if it's still on the table and respond to it."

Peter Nickerson, senate chair and professor of pathology, said he would consider whether to refer the issue to the senate's "overloaded" Educational Programs and Policy Committee, or to create an ad hoc committee to address the issue.

In other business, the FSEC approved a resolution congratulating Thomas E. Headrick, who stepped down as provost effective Jan. 1, "for his substantial contributions to the university's academic progress in his term as provost."

The resolution notes in particular Headrick's "effective advocacy" on behalf of the formation of the College of Arts and Sciences, his efforts to recruit new deans, his work on the mission-planning statement and, "most significantly, his academic plan."