Lowering the Bar: Washington Public Universities Fail to Maintain High Core Curriculum Standards
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What does a degree from a public, four-year university in Washington represent? Our society and economy are highly dependent upon the men and women educated at our public universities. A college degree is becoming a prerequisite for upward mobility, economic opportunity, and financial security. Do Washington universities ensure that all their students receive a comprehensive, integrated education?
Unfortunately, the answer is "no" at our publicly-funded universities. Certainly individual students still get a good education, but at no public university is there an institutional guarantee that students will receive an education that exposes them to the diversity of human knowledge and prepares them to participate fully in our democracy and in the global economy.
The UW has no meaningful core requirements in computer literacy, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, literature, art, music, history, philosophy, or comparative religion.
The essential disciplines of the arts, humanities and social sciences are consistently neglected by the core requirements of all the universities examined.
No public university requires the study of American history or government, while two institutions, WSU and EWU, require only cultural or gender diversity courses.
The weak general education requirements directly contradict statements extolling the value of general education found in university catalogues and web sites.
In today's universities students can avoid most core disciplines. An appreciation for the interrelatedness of human knowledge, as well as the solid foundations needed for advanced study, are both sacrificed.
Washington's public universities are consigning students to an impoverished intellectual life and denying them the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential. Student, parents and taxpayers deserve a well-structured, integrated core curriculum which will encourage academic excellence and prepare students to join full)' in life beyond the university.