Below is a summary of the revisions made to the CLAS GE Program requirements and related policies. The text has been excerpted from a memo from Helena Dettmer, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum, dated February 16, 2011.

CLAS students first entering Iowa summer session 2011 and after will be held to these revised requirements. You may see transfer students this spring with the new requirements on the degree audit. All first-year CLAS students entering Iowa summer 2011 and after will also be held to the updated requirements.

Thank you for revising any publications and websites referring to the CLAS GE requirements as soon as feasible and for sharing this information with your staff. We appreciate your help.

Definitions

Program 1 refers to the GE requirements for CLAS students first entering UI before the 2011 summer session.
Program 2 refers to the revised GE requirements for CLAS students first entering UI summer session 2011 and after. This includes first-year and transfer students.

• Both programs will be run simultaneously until further notice.
• The terms Program 1 and Program 2 will not be used on materials for students.
• The degree audit will correctly reflect the requirements for each student.
• A new web site for Academic Programs and Student Development (120 Schaeffer Hall) will be posted on or before March 1 with updated GE information. Information on the GE revisions is also available at the current CLAS site and at the CLAS For Faculty pages.

CLAS GE Changes

• There are no requirement changes in to the GE categories of Interpretation of Literature, Foreign Language, Quantitative or Formal Reasoning, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, or Historical Perspectives.
• The Rhetoric requirement for students in both programs is now 010:003 Rhetoric (4 s.h.), a change made effective summer session 2010.
  —010:001 and 010:002 have been dropped from CLAS offerings and should be removed from publications and web pages.
  —Transfer equivalencies for the Rhetoric requirement 010:003 have not changed and are not anticipated to change in the near future.
  —010:004 and 010:006 continue to be offered for transfer students who might need these courses to complete the Rhetoric requirement.
• For Program 2, the Foreign Language requirement has been renamed World Languages. The Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) will be renamed Furthering Language Incentive Program (FLIP). When feasible, foreign language will be referred to as World Languages.
• In Program 2, the former GE Distributed and Humanities categories have been dropped and replaced with three new requirement areas:
  —International and Global Issues (3 s.h.);
  —Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts (3 s.h.);
  —Values, Society, and Diversity (3 s.h.).
• In Program 2, requirements are clustered under headings which will appear on the degree audit (see attached Program 2 overview), making identification of Program 2 easier.
• English majors fulfilling the requirements of the Program 2 may substitute one GE course chosen from the Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts category in lieu of 08G:001, if they so wish, just as they have been allowed to do under Program 1 (selecting from the Humanities area). The same courses in both Programs are excluded for 08G:001 substitution (currently 025:059; 137:001; 137:002; 137:003; 137:004; 137:011; 137:012; 137:013; 137:014; 137:022; 137:023; 137:024; this list is under review by English).

Additional General Education Policies and Procedures

Academic Policies

• Existing Program 1 academic policies also apply to Program 2. Regardless of program, students may not double-count one course for two requirements; students may not take a GE requirement using the P/N grading option; and students may use no more than 3 courses from 1 department to complete the GE requirements. (Please see the Student Academic Handbook for complete GE policies and related details or exceptions.)

Re-entering Students

• Students who leave Iowa for fewer than 12 months and thus who do not need to reapply for admission are considered continuing students and will remain on the program under which they first entered Iowa.
• Students who reenter Iowa after an absence of more than 12 months will be held to the GE requirements under which they first entered Iowa.
• A student who first entered The University of Iowa before the 2011 summer session, leaves for more than 12 months, and returns after summer 2011 will reenter under Program 1.
• A student who first entered The University of Iowa summer session 2011 or after, leaves for more than 12 months, and then returns will reenter under Program 2.

Students Switching from Program 1 to Program 2

• Any student held to Program 1 may switch to Program 2.
  a. There is no deadline for requesting this change.
  b. Students may request this switch in 120 Schaeffer Hall beginning immediately.
  c. An appointment with an associate director is required (335-2633 or see online scheduler).
  d. Students will be asked to sign a form in 120 Schaeffer Hall saying they are requesting a switch and that they understand the implications of the decision.
  e. Advisors and students should be aware that, when viewing an MyUI What If degree audit, transfer courses of a student in Program 1 will not populate the three new GE areas in Program 2 correctly because of technical issues. Students should contact 120 Schaeffer Hall for help. Students may use the course equivalency tool which correctly shows how transfer courses will be counted in either program. (Note: Students who enter on Program Two will not be affected by this issue.)
  f. CLAS will notify Admissions (Judy Saluri) if any Program 1 student switches to Program 2 so that the degree audit may be corrected.
• No student may graduate under Program 2 until the summer 2011 session. No exceptions will be considered.
• Once a student has moved from Program 1 to Program 2, the student may not move back to Program 1 unless very unusual circumstances warrant such a change; students may seek help from 120 Schaeffer Hall.

Students Asking to Switch from Program 2 to Program 1

• Students first entering UI summer session 2011 and after may not move to Program 1. No exceptions will be considered.

Advising Tools and Information

• The degree audit will reflect the correct GE Program requirements for each student, regardless of program.
• Starting with the MyUI summer session 2011 schedule, the GE status of a course in either program will appear on the MyUI course description page. Here is a sample entry:
  Approved GE:
  Students admitted for summer 2011 and after:
  —Historical Perspectives
  —Literary, Visual & Performing Arts
  Students admitted before summer 2011:
  —Historical Perspectives
• Starting with summer session 2011, the course search page on MyUI will have a link to GE courses available within either program. Students may choose to search for GE courses using the GE pull-down menu or the link By general education (GE) area, selecting courses under one of these labels:
  —Students admitted for summer 2011 and after
  —Students admitted before summer 2011
• Students may run a GE Program What If degree audit, available through MyUI.
• Advisors may use OSIRIS to run a GE Program What If degree audit.
• Students may use the course equivalency tool, which correctly shows how transfer courses will be counted in either program.
• Information about the requirements of Program 2 will be added to the 2011-2012 General Catalog; Program 1 requirements will be found in the pdf files of the Catalog from past years at the Registrar’s web site. The requirements of Program 1 and Program 2 also will be found on the degree audit of any CLAS student held to these requirements.

Contact Information

For policy questions, please contact me (Helena Dettmer, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum). For implementation issues, contact Kathryn Hall, Academic Programs and Student Development. Again, thank you for updating your records and for sharing this information with those who might need it.