Submitted by: Suzanne Massey, smassey@uca.edu on 10/07/2026
Dear Campus Community,
The BTÌìÌÃCore Council is proposing a change to the general education program, the BTÌìÌÃCore. Specifically, the Council must adapt the 38-hour lower division Core requirements in response to changing state requirements that will become effective in fall of 2027, namely the requirement that students now be required to take an American history AND American government course. This change would add 3 additional hours to every student’s degree plan, which is untenable. The Core Council, therefore, was charged with removing 3 hours from the lower division Core to accommodate the new state requirement. After a great deal of deliberation and consultation with stakeholders across UCA, the Council, in its October 6th meeting, proposed a plan. (See attached for both the proposed plan and the current LD Core Check sheet) The proposed plan saves the necessary 3 credit hours by distributing FYS courses throughout the lower core and reducing the global learning requirement to one course, instead of the current 2 course requirement. Now, we are soliciting further feedback from campus. We will be collecting feedback during October to review at our November meeting. At our November meeting the Council will vote to adopt a new LD Core check sheet and begin the curricular process to ensure that all changes are made in time for registration for fall of 2027. Please note, Core Council is one level of the shared governance process. Any proposal sent forward by the Council must also pass through Undergraduate Council and the Council of Deans.
To solicit feedback from campus, we are providing a link to a google form () and hosting town hall-style meetings across campus. The chair of Core Council, Dr. Held, as well as college representatives will be present at these meetings:
CoE: 10/20, x-period (Mashburn 101)
CHBS: 10/08, x-period (IHSB 227/9)
COB: 10/13, x-period (COB 302)
CAHSS: 10/27, x-period (McCastlain 143)
CoSE: 10/22, x-period (Location TBD)
Please take time to complete the survey and/or attend a meeting to provide your feedback. A change to the general education program is impactful on campus writ large, so we need to hear from all corners of campus, faculty and staff, to weigh all legitimate and relevant factors.
Thank you,
JMH