A movement to have all undergraduate schools at UCLA abide by a
general education requirement foundation paralleling that of the
UCLA College is almost complete, as the UCLA School of Engineering
and Applied Science plans on finalizing their revisions this
spring.
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and the UCLA
School of Arts and Architecture have already approved and
implemented a reconstruction of their GE requirements that parallel
the foundation areas and course list found in the UCLA College.
Though the School of Engineering has decided to adopt the
general framework of the UCLA College’s GE requirements, what
is left to vote on is the course list from which engineering
students can choose, said Professor Harold Monbouquette, chair of
the Faculty Executive Committee of the School of Engineering.
“We could accept the UCLA College course list ““ it
is likely that we do, but we (Faculty Executive Committee) have not
voted on it yet,” Monbouquette said.
The substantial 2001 UCLA College GE reform, and changes in the
Engineering Accreditation Board requirements, encouraged the School
of Engineering to update its current GE structure.
Though the schools are closer to sharing a common general
education foundation, the status of a proposed diversity
requirement, which was voted down by the faculty of the UCLA
College in fall 2004, continues to be stagnant in all four
schools.
Since its defeat by the UCLA College’s faculty members, no
new advancements have taken place.
“As far as I know, it has no official status at the
moment,” said Kathleen Komar, chair of the Academic Senate.
“I suspect people want to wait a while before they resurrect
it.”
Professor Raymond Knapp, head of the GE Governance Committee,
added that the previous proposal for a diversity requirement has to
be changed in order for it to be justifiable to bring to another
vote in the UCLA College. He is hopeful the FEC of the UCLA College
will bring it to a vote next year, he said.
As for the School of Engineering, Monbouquette said that he is
adopting a “wait-and-see attitude” regarding the
inclusion of a diversity requirement.
“It has not been taken up formally by the Faculty
Executive Committee (of the School of Engineering),”
Monbouquette said, adding that it is currently unlikely given that
it did not go through the UCLA College.
Monbouquette said the school’s main concern is that
engineering students may have to take extra classes. He also said
implementing a diversity requirement is something the school will
certainly look at if it fits into the GE framework.
Discussion regarding the diversity requirement is ongoing among
the faculty of both the School of Theater, Film and Television and
the School of Arts and Architecture, but no official actions have
been planned in the advancement of the requirement, administrators
said.