All faculty members will discuss the details of the new core curriculum during a forum this afternoon.

Faculty Senators approved Thursday most of the wording about the expected skills students would be required to demonstrate under the new core.

Senators would like faculty to express their ideas about the new core.

“We want faculty to discuss the new core and give it their approval,” said Nadia Lahutsky, who chairs the Faculty Senate.

Carolyn Cagle, a Senate member and associate nursing professor, said faculty discussion is needed because the new core will blend faculty from numerous areas.
“The new core has more faculty integration concepts,” Cagle said. “(The new core) is different because more faculty from several areas will come together to teach one course.”

Cagle said a proposed course combines a nursing faculty member with professors from two other colleges and she thinks the new core will be more academically challenging for students because of the combination of several faculty.

Lahutsky said the next step is to pass the new core to other university committees to get their authorization.

She said committees will have to decide if students that come to TCU before the new core is in effect, in August 2005, will be given the option to choose between using the university’s current requirements or the new core to fulfill a bachelor’s degree.