Letter to the Editor: Negative aspects to general education requirements

By Henry Schenck

A quick note on the proposal to add an additional cultural studies class to the graduation requirements for students.

Most of my experience teaching undergraduates comes from students in the College of Engineering.

These students are already laboring under a demanding course load, and on average, take over 4.5 years to graduate.

When the cost of a degree is already pricing many students out of the market, adding yet another requirement will increase both time to degree and financial burden for our students. It is a bad idea.

I believe that the University should move in the opposite direction, helping students reduce debt and time to graduation by cutting back the general education requirements. I think it makes sense to let students and programs decide on the skills students need to prepare for their futures.

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
Thank you for subscribing!

A cynical view is that the push to increase general education requirements is driven by the wish of an area to boost enrollment and justify additional financial resources and faculty.

While I don’t believe this is the case, it is my impression that most general education classes are taught at a low level.

A few years back, a movie came out titled “Gen Ed.” It was a comedy for a reason.

The world is changing, and university is a wonderful opportunity to explore new areas and grow as a person.

Treating students like mindless drones unable to choose for themselves is a hallmark of an earlier, paternalistic “Father Knows Best” era, unworthy of a great institution like Illinois.

With the proliferation of streamlined educational opportunities which put students on a fast track in their chosen field, the current general education requirements place Illinois students at a competitive disadvantage, costing them both time and tuition.

It is time to rethink and reduce the University general education requirements, or at least delegate decisions about general education requirements to the individual colleges.

Written by Henry Schenck, University mathematics professor.