General Education and Institutional Culture: A Case Study in Progress. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper.

This study examined how philosophies of general education are enacted at two higher education institutions by those persons charged with implementation. The study proceeded using case study methods and week-long visits to the two institutions, one holding a "Liberal Arts I" Carnegie classification, and the other holding a "Research I" Carnegie classification. The two were selected to maximize variation in the sampling. At each institution interviews were conducted with faculty, department and division chairs, associate deans, deans, registrars, advisors, other administrators, students, and one president. Document analysis and the personal observations of the researcher were also utilized to achieve a triangulation of data sources. Observation of the liberal arts college found a clear and commonly held vision for the institution that provided general agreement concerning the administration and maintenance of the general education curriculum. The culture of the research university was characterized by distances: distances between students, faculty and administrators. Analysis and comparison revealed one major theme, that administrators at both institutions were actively involved in the curriculum, more involved than they themselves seemed to realize. Though administrators were thoroughly involved with all of the processes of the curriculum they maintained that the faculty "own" the curriculum. (Includes 16 references.) (JB)