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National Leaders in Developmental Education

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National Leaders in Developmental Education From the Source Dean David V. Taylor FOCUS ON General College: A proud history eneral College is now 70 years old. The origins of the The General College has had an illustrious, sometimes college lay in the years following World War I when controversial, history. Over the past 70 years it has been in the G many students and war veterans, attempting to access vanguard of institutional accommodation to societal changes. postsecondary institutions, were not being successfully re­ It has been the principal vehicle through which the Universi­ tained because of poor academic preparation. Many did not ty’s commitment to access has been realized. This issue of understand the culture of the academy, and support services Access is intended to share with you, the reader, a portion of for students were virtually nonexistent. A few leading educa­ that history, richly illustrated with photographs of people and tors across the nation recognized the need for curricular inno­ events. Additionally, we have featured our growing Archives vation that would provide a general introduction to Center, which will preserve the unique stories and achieve­ disciplinary fields of study as well as appropriate advising for ments of this community of professionals and the people that students as they began to determine fields of interests that they have served. would shape their academic program. ON THE COVER University of Minnesota President Lotus Coffman was Bound archival volumes representing General College’s 70-year history aware of both the retention problem and the burgeoning “gen­ form the backdrop of this issue’s cover. In the foreground, top left: eral education” curriculum movement. He was also aware of Nicholson Hall, the college’s home from 1951 until 1989. Top right: the fact that talented students were not being sufficiently chal­ General College was first housed in Wesbrook Hall, in whose alcove lenged by the existing curriculum. In an effort to find reme­ three art students are seen working in 1938. Bottom left: General dies to both issues, he established two task forces. As a result of College students stand in line to register for courses in Morrill Hall in these deliberations, the University College was established in 1977. Bottom right: Today’s students, like GC freshman Stephanie Hagen, 1930, and a “Junior College,” the precursor of the General register online, as well as use computers in class, as shown here. College, was formed in 1932. Photo credits: Scott Cohen (archives books); Tom Foley (Stephanie Hagen); University of Minnesota Archives (Nicholson Hall, art students), GC Archives (registration line). Access Highlights Contents The roots of the General College 11 News Notes 4 As they do today, educators at the University and nationally wrestled Kudos GC 70TH ANNIVERSARY with issues of access and retention in undergraduate education over 70 years ago. 12 News From the GC Archives Project grows 13 6 A gold mine for higher education researchers and University historians Research Center GC 70TH ANNIVERSARY takes shape in Appleby Hall. 14 Alumni Feature General College: Access to excellence for 70 years 8 Where we are today: a profile of the college reprinted from the University 15 GC Alumni Board GC TODAY faculty and staff newspaper, Kiosk. 16 Campaign Report Documenting African American history at the ‘U’ 10 The takeover of Morrill Hall in 1969 profoundly affected the cultural and “U” BLACK HISTORY academic life of the University. National leaders in developmental education meet at ‘U’ to discuss future directions eneral College continued its dents in higher education attended the Access Gnational leadership role for research first meeting. They identified 16 themes The General College Newsletter and practice in the field of developmen­ to examine, including histories of devel­ tal education when it convened the third opmental education, future research, and Winter 2003 ❚ Vol. 2, No. 2 national meeting on future directions in theoretical frameworks. Participants met Dean developmental education on November to brainstorm and create recommenda­ David V. Taylor 16-17, 2002. GC and the college’s Center tions. Four major themes emerged in the Editor and communications director for Research on Developmental Educa­ first meeting—research, policy and prac­ Laura Weber tion and Urban Literacy (CRDEUL) tice, collaboration and community part­ Original design and cover design Sysouk Khambounmy sponsorship of these meetings, attended nerships, and theoretical perspectives. A Photography by leaders in developmental education second meeting was held in April 2001 Scott Cohen, Tom Foley from GC and around the nation, has to expand upon those themes and recom­ Layout fostered strong national collaborations mend future action. Sysouk Khambounmy, Laura Weber that will continue to support research on Copy editing At the third, and most recent, meet­ Mary Ellen Gee access for students in higher education. ing in November, participants continued Contributing writers The concept of a “Future Directions” conversations around two themes— Allen Johnson, Tom Lonergan, Dana meeting originated a few years ago with grants and research, and diversity and Lundell, Barbara Miller, Jason Sanford Professor Terry Collins, GC’s director of multiculturalism. This time, 40 leaders academic affairs, who determined that from a variety of subject areas and orga­ Access is a 2002 Circle of Excellence Silver Medal Winner in the Periodicals the time had come for the college to take nizations met to develop specific action Publishing Improvement category from the a national leadership position by initiat­ plans for the coming year. The meeting’s Council for Advancement and Support of ing discussions across organizations and outcomes included identifying grants Education (CASE), based in Washington, D.C. providing a space for more imaginative and research topics as well as future di­ Assistant Dean and kinds of research and practice on access rections for multiculturalism and diversi­ Director of Student Services issues in higher education. Dean David ty in developmental education. Avelino Mills-Novoa Taylor was highly supportive of this plan, Another outcome was launching the Academic Affairs and Curriculum Director Terence G. Collins and in October 1999, Dana Lundell and national Future Directions Multicultural Professor Jeanne Higbee from CRDEUL Initiative by Professor Jeanne Higbee to Access is published by the University of planned and hosted the first of a series of Minnesota’s General College for alumni/ae, focus on information dissemination, faculty, staff, and friends of the college. three meetings. curricular transformation, and research. The mission of General College is to provide Twenty regional and national leaders Dana Lundell will lead the CRDEUL access to the University of Minnesota for with expertise on access issues for stu­ Advisory Board to develop future grants highly motivated students from a broad range for research and practice. of backgrounds who demonstrate potential to succeed at a major research university and to The Center has published advance research in fields affecting those proceedings from past meetings students’ success, including developmental and multicultural education. (available at www.gen.umn.edu/ Send correspondence to the editor at: research/crdeul/publications.htm). General College An online summary report of the 109 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant St. S.E. third meeting will be forthcoming Minneapolis, MN 55455-0434 in February 2003. [email protected] GC Web site: www.gen.umn.edu —Dana Lundell This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Please call 612- 625-6566 or fax 612-626-7848. Forty regional and national leaders in the field of developmental education met The University of Minnesota is an equal at the University in November to develop action plans to advance research and opportunity educator and employer. practice in developmental education. Left to right, facing camera: Carl Chung, Irene Printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper, 20 percent post-consumer waste, by Duranczyk, Janet Stottlemyer, David Arendale (standing), Terry Collins, all of GC. University Printing Services. By Allen B. Johnson OF THE GENERAL COLLEGE GC was part of the University’s response THE ROOTS to a nationwide reevaluation of under- graduate education post-World War I Archives To do this, they divided the body of underserved stu­ dents into two groups. The first group was the gifted stu­ dents for whom the traditional curriculum was too rigid. For these students, University College was created in June 1930. The second group included students at the other end of the academic spectrum, those who were not expected to go beyond two years, those described by General College’s first director, Malcolm MacLean, as previously “dumped into the great slag heap of academic discards.” While many university leaders of the era believed that too many people were going to college, thus “destroying Photos on this page courtesy University of Minnesota civilization,” President Coffman genuinely believed the opposite—that the “academic discards” had as much right to be served by the University as any other group of stu­ dents. He believed, first of all, that a state university owed an opportunity to everyone. If a student failed, it wasn’t necessarily the fault of the student, but more likely the failure of the university. Coffman frequently pointed out University President (1920–1938) Lotus Coffman that many of the “academic discards” later emerged he roots of General College go back to the years fol­ as talented civic and community leaders—some even lowing World War I. As the country returned to “nor­ becoming legislators who voted on appropriations for the Tmalcy” in the 1920s, considerable unhappiness existed University. at the University of Minnesota, as well as at most colleges and universities nationwide, over the fact that undergraduate education was not serving the needs of large numbers of entering students. In many cases, more than half of the fresh- man class did not return for the second year. At the Universi­ ty, the figure was 60 percent.
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