(Posted July 13, 2017)

Juniata Provost Lauren Bowen worked with Phil Dunwoody, professor of psychology and director of assessment, to craft the Mellon proposal.
Juniata Provost Lauren Bowen worked with Phil Dunwoody, professor of psychology and director of assessment, to craft the Mellon proposal.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Juniata College $50,000 to support the redesign of the college’s general education curriculum. The grant is the second such award provided to Juniata in support of a faculty-driven effort to contemporize the educational experience all students must undertake to complement their chosen area of specific study. 

“The support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is significant not only in terms of monetary value, but because it signals the confidence the Mellon Foundation has in Juniata’s commitment to the liberal arts,” says James A. Troha, president of Juniata College.

With previous Mellon Foundation support, Juniata developed and adopted institutional learning outcomes (ILOs), a set of common competencies all Juniata graduates would acquire, regardless of their specific field of study. The process sought input from students, alumni, retired and current faculty, staff, and administrators because the college envisioned ILOs as the responsibility of Juniata’s entire educational community.

The ILOs were adopted in April 2016, and focused on capacities necessary for broad education relevant to contemporary and future careers and ideas of citizenship.

The ILOs state that all Juniata graduates will demonstrate knowledge and skills in their area of study, sophisticated abilities for intellectual engagement, understanding of interdisciplinary work, the capacity for ethical behavior, and engagement with the world and the ability to be self-reflective. The new Mellon grant will provide Juniata resources to develop a curriculum of experiences common to every student that will support the ILOs.    

"The Mellon Foundation's support helps us ensure our curriculum will be rooted in foundational liberal arts values and preserve our distinction as a college where students can individualize their course of study."

“The Mellon Foundation’s support helps us ensure our curriculum will be rooted in foundational liberal arts values and encourage inquiry in students. It also will be timely and relevant in providing students with the skills, habits of mind, and intellectual curiosity to thrive in the contemporary world,” says Lauren Bowen, Juniata’s provost. “The curriculum also will preserve our distinction as a college where students can individualize their course of study.”

The Mellon grant will support Juniata’s curricular development efforts for the next year.

 

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.