General Education

Provost Priorities: General Education

In Spring 2026 the Provost and Faculty Council established the General Education Task Force to review Mizzou’s General Education Program, examine best practices at other institutions, and make recommendations for revisions to the Mizzou General Education Program structure and outcomes.  

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Why Revise the Mizzou General Education Program?

Mizzou’s General Education Program has not been substantially revised with faculty approval since 1991. Significant changes have occurred in the higher education landscape since that time.  

General Education revision was identified as an opportunity during Mizzou’s successful Higher Learning Commission (HLC) reaccreditation visit.  

This revision offers an opportunity to develop a vision for Mizzou General Education that is shared by students, families, staff and faculty. It also offers the chance to consider making changes to the program such as incorporating high impact practices for students. 

Establishing the Mizzou General Education Task Force

Nominations for the task force were solicited across campus and task members representing different academic units and roles were selected by the Provost and Faculty Council leadership. The task force began meeting in Fall 2025.

(Right: Carolyn Orbann and Bethany Stone of the General Education Task Force at a Celebration of Teaching Panel in May 2026.)

General Education Task Force
Carolyn Orbann and Bethany Stone of the General Education Task Force present at Celebration of Teaching 2026

Task Force Goals: Year Two

  1. 1 in gold circle

    Refine and further develop the draft recommendations emerging from Year One.

  2. 2 in gold circle

    Develop an assessment plan and process for general education program learning outcomes.

  3. 3 in gold circle

    Identify implementation considerations, including resources, timelines and operational structures.

  4. 4 in gold circle

    Continue engaging faculty, staff and students to gather feedback.

  5. 5 in gold circle

    Prepare a final set of recommendations for consideration in advance of a faculty vote.

Outcomes

As of April 2026, the task force has: 

  • Examined general education requirements and processes at Mizzou.
  • Connected with other institutions that have recently revised their general education programs.
  • Began drafting core learning objectives for the General Education Program.
  • Began generating ideas for the future of general education at Mizzou.
  • Began engaging the community through meetings with student, staff, and faculty groups. Outreach will continue through the end of the Spring semester and resume again in the Fall semester.