In the past 60 years, American universities abandoned traditional general education requirements that gave students shared knowledge of the history, ideals, and institutions of America and Western Civilization, as well as a proper introduction to science, mathematics, and writing composition. Our college graduates all too frequently have learned to hate America from ignorance, but lack the knowledge they need to succeed in their careers or act as informed citizens. The American public rightly has lost its confidence in higher education and its ability to train tomorrow’s teachers, physicians, and leaders.
The General Education Act provides a solution.
The National Association of Scholars (NAS), the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, and the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) have published the new model General Education Act (GEA). The GEA reforms and replaces the failed system of cafeteria-style distribution requirements geared to faculty research specialties, rather than to the true requisites of liberal education. The Act's authors—Stanley Kurtz of EPPC, David Randall of NAS, and Jenna Robinson of the Martin Center—will discuss why the GEA is necessary, what it aims to achieve, and why it is a practical means to achieve its goal.
This event features Stanley Kurtz, Senior Fellow at EPPC; David Randall, Director of Research at NAS; Jenna Robinson, President of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal; and Shannon Watkins, Research Associate at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.
Photo by Rafael - User: tetraktys (talk) 18:53, 7 August 2010 (UTC), Public Domain
