The University Core Curriculum could receive its first - and only - facelift in its almost 20 years of existence.
But university officials are cautioning not to expect changes anytime soon.
"There's a lot to look at and think about," said Beverley Pitts, the associate provost and replacement for retiring provost Warren Vander Hill. "It may be the best curriculum there is, but at least we should ask the questions.
"It takes a long time to ask these questions."
First, Pitts said, the university will step back to consider the mission of the UCC and how it accommodates students' education.
Only then will the university tackle specific questions about classes or requirements, Pitts said.
And it will be the University Senate which will most likely answer these questions.
The Senate's University Core Curriculum Subcommittee will host an open forum to discuss the UCC from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today in the Student Center's Forum Room.
Thomas Lowe, the dean of University College, said the forum will be two hours long to accommodate students' and professors' schedules.
"Anyone who wants to make comments are welcome to come," Lowe said. "We're just interested in what the audience has to say. We're not putting forth any recommendations for changes at this point."
Before any changes are made, Pitts said she wants people to look at the big picture and not get caught up in the details.
The Board of Trustees would need to approve any final plan, but Pitts said she wants the faculty and students to determine the details of that final plan.
Until it is time to make a decision, Pitts and Lowe said the administration will be on hand to advise the faculty of the feasibility of any proposed changes.
"The curriculum belongs to the faculty," Lowe said. "They'll be the key to determine if changes are made or if no changes are made."
If changes were made, Lowe and Pitts said they would probably not be implemented until the new undergraduate catalog is published in two years.
The UCC is unique in that it has survived almost 20 years with only "minor tweaks," Lowe said.
Currently, the UCC is the only set of classes that all students must take. Before it was implemented, Ball State used a "cafeteria-style" system, Lowe said, in which students had a much larger selection of classes that counted toward their core curriculum.
The system, however, was unmanageable, Lowe said.
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