HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY

GENERAL EDUCATION TASK FORCE 100

Overview

The General Education Task Force 100 (GE100) is a university-wide initiative, led by the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (HCLAS) in close partnership with other schools and colleges. The Task Force’s work is rooted in the HCLAS 100 Strategic Plan and aligned with the Hofstra 100 University Strategic Plan, ensuring that the proposed curriculum reflects Hofstra’s mission, values, and commitment to a liberal arts education that is inclusive and student-centered.

Update

Take the General Education Task Force 100 survey to give your thoughts on the task force’s draft learning goals.

Take the Survey

The Scope

This faculty-led Task Force will develop, over the next four semesters, a curricular proposal to be reviewed through faculty governance. Its work will be grounded in broad consultation across the University community—including faculty and students from all schools whose programs intersect with General Education. The Task Force is committed to aligning a revised General Education curriculum with the University’s strategic priorities, and will maintain transparency and communication through open forums, regular updates, and campus-wide engagement.

Draft Learning Goals

View Draft Learning Goals

Current Task Force Activities

In the Fall 2025 semester the Task Force is engaging in a process of backward design to articulate the foundational learning goals for Hofstra’s revised General Education curriculum. This work is grounded in broad consultation with faculty, students, and other members of the Hofstra community involved in the General Education curriculum. The Task Force will review a range of institutional models and analyze relevant data and scholarship on liberal arts education.

Composition

The General Education Task Force 100 was convened in September 2025.

Co-chairs:

Brenda Elsey (History, Women’s Studies, and Latin American & Caribbean Studies)

Craig Rustici (English and Disability Studies)

Matthew Smylie (Physics and Astronomy)

Faculty Representation

HCLAS, Humanities, Performing and Fine Arts

John Krapp, Comparative Literature

Cindy Rosenthal, Drama and Dance

Craig Rustici, English

HCLAS, Kalikow

Julie Byrne, Religion

Brenda Elsey, History

Ruth Trumble, Global Studies and Geography

HCLAS, Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Emma Condy, Psychology

Christa Farmer, Geology, Environment, and Sustainability

Matthew Smylie, Physics and Astronomy

Axinn Library

William Caniano, Library Services

DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Gretchen Ostheimer, Engineering

Herbert School of Communication

Rodney Hill, Radio, Television, Film

Rabinowitz Honors College

Bret Bennington, Geology, Environment, and Sustainability

School of Education

Marilyn DePietto, Teaching, Learning, and Technology

School of Health Sciences

Jenny Roberts, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Zarb School of Business

Glen Vogel, Marketing, International Business, and Legal Studies

Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies

Robert Gluck, Graduate Nursing

Email for More Info

BE A PART

OF THE CONVERSATION

Take the GETF100 survey on drafted learning goals.

Take the Survey

Hello Colleagues!

On behalf of the General Education Task Force 100, we would like to thank everyone across campus for sharing your ideas about the general education curriculum. Over the past couple of months, we reached out to and met with every department and program in HCLAS. In addition, we are consulting with schools outside of HCLAS, separate constituencies of faculty, and are in the process of engaging students and administrative units, such as advising. Please be on the lookout for announcements of upcoming thematic listening sessions. If you have any ideas for one, please propose it to the task force! This is a faculty-led project, and as such, we will continue to solicit your input as we go forward in this process.

You can reach us anytime at genedtaskforce@hofstra.edu

Coming up, we are hosting two Town Halls, on Wednesday, November 19th, from 1:00pm-2:15pm and Friday, November 21st, from 2:30pm-4:00pm, which will be in the Student Center Theatre with a live Zoom option.

The HCLAS Executive Committee has charged the task force with three projects for this semester:

Conduct extensive research into general education standards and requirements
Hold consultations with as many HU constituencies as possible, to hear our colleagues’ thoughts on general education
Draft proposed learning goals

We will present the learning goals at the aforementioned Town Halls, and we look forward to your feedback. Starting in the spring, we will be using the learning goals to steer the development of possible conceptual frameworks of general education programs, in line with the Gen Ed Task Force’s charge.

We understand it can be difficult to think creatively about our general education in a vacuum given all the considerations and constraints of departments and programs. Many have expressed enthusiasm about a more intentional, streamlined, and relevant general education model – for students, but also for faculty. Some faculty have also expressed worry about any changes to general education requirements. We are taking notes, literally and figuratively, of these concerns. Thus far, across all of these consultations, faculty by and large agreed on common hopes to help our students become professionals who can think critically, express themselves and communicate, who can adapt to technological change, who can act with self-reflection, and who can engage with the wider world they will inhabit. Moreover, we have heard enthusiastic support for the enduring importance of liberal arts both from colleagues within HCLAS and outside of HCLAS, which has been heartening. We look forward to continuing to consult with faculty and other constituencies during this multi-semester process.

Brenda Elsey, Craig Rustici, and Matthew Smylie (co-chairs, GETF 100)