The UB Curriculum, which was launched in fall 2016, is UB’s innovative core educational experience, designed to provide undergraduates with the experiences and liberal arts foundation they need to thrive in our complex and global society. It was built around educational quality and student engagement, and it positioned UB as a national leader in offering a dynamic general education (gen ed) program.

Given that 10 years have passed since the launch of the UB Curriculum, it is an appropriate time to consider the future of gen ed at UB, with the benefit of multiple perspectives.

This committee will be responsible for considering what the comprehensive liberal arts and sciences foundation and unifying academic experience for all undergraduates might be. The gen ed program should be expansive and exploratory, deepening students’ understanding of the world, enhancing critical thinking and communication, encouraging problem solving and creativity, and promoting collaboration and curiosity. The program should prepare students to be flexible, apply skills, and succeed in a world and job market characterized by significant technological and social change.

The committee should keep in mind that UB’s gen ed program must fit within SUNY’s guidelines while recognizing that UB often sets the standards for gen ed for the SUNY system.

Over the course of the 2026-27 academic year, the committee will develop a vision for the future of UB’s gen ed program that is guided by faculty, student and staff perspectives. The committee will draft a report, which will be submitted to the provost and Faculty Senate Chairand will guide the work of a later implementation committee.

Questions for Consideration:

• What is the shared, comprehensive gen ed experience that UB wants for our undergraduates?
• What needs to be included in a liberal arts foundation?
• How can courses be connected across disciplines? Are there signature classes that UB would like to offer as part of the program?
• Should the program connect more intentionally to students’ majors?
• How does the program promote reflection and application of knowledge beyond the classroom?
• Should gen ed help students understand their responsibilities as members of a democratic society?
• How will the gen ed program reflect current societal and student learning needs and those needs for the next 10-15 years? What is not currently part of the program that should be?
• Are there changes in student/family expectations, student learning needs, evidence-based high-impact practices, and/or innovations at peer institutions that should be considered for incorporation into UB’s program?
• Is the gen ed program coherent and is the intention of the whole program and each of the components clearly articulated?
• Is there a sufficient breadth of offerings vs. too much choice?
• How is gen ed included in recruitment, admissions and on-boarding communications?