It was clear in the beginning that FDU's Core program had the potential to be something very special. In its first year, a comprehensive report undertaken by an outside consultant declared, "The arguments for an insistence on elements of a common culture on the part of a diverse student body in an age of relative fragmentation seem powerful... This has been a bold and exemplary move which will be watched with interest."

Now celebrating its 10th year, the University Core curriculum has proven more than just interesting to watch, but a vibrant and challenging series of courses that has stimulated students and faculty and garnered national attention. Dr. Geoffrey Weinman, vice president for academic affairs, whose leadership led to the creation and implementation of the program said, "Among the many cutting-edge programs for which FDU has become known, none has had as far-reaching an impact as the University Core."

The program consists of four transdisciplinary courses required of all FDU undergraduates and involves a coordinated effort by professors from all disciplines. Faculty, who developed the courses, are engaged in the continuing enhancement of the "living curriculum." Today, 61 faculty are active in Core and, overall, close to 100 professors have participated.

"The program represents the literal core of knowledge and skills that Fairleigh Dickinson University considers essential to its education," explains Dr. John Becker, professor of English and director, University Core, Florham-Madison Campus. The objectives, he adds, are to "consider the central importance of individuality in the Western tradition, to examine some fundamental issues and themes which characterize the American experience, to get some insight into cultures very unlike our own, and to address recurrent and pervasive problems that underlie our global concerns as human beings."

Students typically begin the sequence of courses in the second semester of the freshman year and end in the first semester of the junior year. The program takes students from reflections on individuality ("Perspectives on the Individual") to a discussion of the themes of freedom and equality in the history of the United States ("The American Experience"). Then, students explore four cultures unlike that of the United States while challenging the notion of ethnocentricity ("Cross-Cultural Perspectives"). Finally, the fourth course considers problems that threaten the human race, from war to climate changes to epidemics, in the context of a discussion of science and technology ("Global Issues"). Authors presented range from Plato to Sigmund Freud, Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Chinua Achebe, Mohandas Gandhi and Albert Camus. Works studied include "The Sermon on the Mount," "The Bill of Rights," The Bhagavad Gita and Environment 96/97.

"The Core program's broad spectrum of works forces students to address issues that may not normally be raised in their respective majors," says Dr. Thomas Beam, professor of accounting. "I regularly see students remove their blinders and develop a larger perspective on the world."

Core is more than a set of dynamic texts, it is an innovation in teaching, says Dr. Leonard Grob, professor of philosophy, and director, University Core, Teaneck-Hackensack Campus. Grob describes the approach as "student-centered pedagogy." Classes are structured as discussions not lectures. Students are encouraged to engage in interactive learning. They participate in small groups as they analyze together a key passage from a text, keep individual journals which may provide the inspiration for the longer papers they write and, from time to time, view films on a range of topics from civil rights to life in a Chinese village. Class work stresses the development of critical thinking and writing skills.

The students have responded well, according to Dr. Rendell Mabey, senior lecturer of English, and have risen to the challenges. "In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X explains that education is the process of becoming mentally alive. I see a great deal of that happening." And the student-centered approach allows faculty to become more active in the classroom. "Instead of feeding information to students, I'm part of a process of developing knowledge and learning together."

All those teaching Core courses have undergone an intensive training program that features a faculty apprenticeship with a current Core teacher. Thus far, more than 100 training programs have been held. In addition, seminars and workshops focusing on Core and other works often are held.

Dr. Roger Koppl, associate professor of economics and finance, says "One of the benefits of Core is the intellectual stimulation gotten by those who teach it. It encourages discussion across the disciplines and pushes us all toward a broader perspective. As an economist, I'm all for specialization. But, as a well-known economist has reminded us, the gains from specialization come when you exchange with others. Core encourages those exchanges."

Perhaps the greatest strength of the program is the willingness of the faculty to assess and modify the curriculum. Core faculty regularly meet to review themes, texts and assignments, and to make changes when necessary. Dr. Teresa Donati, professor of sociology, says, "We constantly evaluate and monitor the progress of the courses to make sure students are finding the program relevant." She adds that subcommittees often are formed to address specific issues.

Donati, who was part of the committee that helped develop the curriculum and has taught Core classes since the inception of the program, says it has been helpful for the faculty to know that all students have taken a common body of courses. "It allows us to draw certain parallels and make connections between current events and classic works we know they are all familiar with."

The University Core has received national recognition for its innovative approach to general education. The American Association of Colleges and Universities honored the FDU Core in 1989 by selecting it one of nine programs in the United States to serve as a model for other educational institutions. In a two-year program called "Engaging Cultural Legacies," FDU was a mentor institution and helped other colleges formulate their core curriculum. This year, the University Core program was invited by Liberal Education, the journal of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, to submit an article about the Core for the spring 1997 issue.

In addition, the development of FDU's Core curriculum has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education and the Mellon Foundation.

As others supported its efforts, FDU was closely monitoring the effectiveness of the program. In the fourth year of Core, FDU conducted an assessment to learn whether improvements in analytic thinking and integrative writing could be demonstrated. The reviewer of the effort concluded that "as students progress through Core courses, they show a greater concern for, and understanding of, current issues of global importance, they cite a broader range of literary and scientific sources to support their assertions, and they write more complex and sophisticated essays."

Distinguished Faculty Award Winners
This year's Distinguished Faculty Award winners were (clockwise from top left): Dr. Vladimir Zwass, professor of computer science and management information systems; Dr. Govindasami Naadimuthu, professor of information systems and sciences, associate dean of the Samuel J. Silberman College of Business Administration, being congratulated by President Frank Mertz; and Dr. Martin Green, professor of English, chair of English, communications and philosophy department, being presented by Vice President for Academic Affairs Geoffrey Weinman.

A Continuing Commitment

Dr. James Kuehl, professor of philosophy and director of special projects, University Core, said there is a common belief that general education requirements should be minimal. But, adds Kuehl, to many, the Core provides an invaluable common bond for students and faculty and opens the doorway to unfamiliar perspectives. "A relevant education today must enable people to see their world in a broad context and ask the important questions."

FDU's commitment to its Core program remains as intense as at any point in its 10-year history. In fact, it is one of the most rigorously and continuously assessed programs in the University. In an effort to further improve the program and provide for long-term planning, faculty and student surveys of the Core program recently were taken. The study reveals, "Both students and faculty find that the Core is doing its best: 1) to help students to 'ask questions, make connections, be a better thinker'; and 2) to examine what is 'read closely and assess its usefulness before drawing conclusions.'" Specifically regarding the students, it concluded, "on average the students are 'strongly agreeing' or 'agreeing' with statements regarding teaching goals that the faculty have for the Core courses."

Several recommendations for future action have emerged from the surveys. Kuehl suggests, "Core courses need to be further integrated with courses in the disciplines. And professors not teaching in the Core program need to learn more about the four courses required of each baccalaureate candidate." FDU is in the process of developing a grant proposal that will enhance the integration between the University Core courses and discipline-based courses.

FDU will continue to assess its Core program as it heads toward the next decade of providing a challenging and stimulating common educational experience. Becker says, "We're developing a discourse that every intellectual person should be able to engage in."-A.C.