Purpose
During the 2025 general session, the Utah Legislature, with the support of Gov. Cox, passed a bill to establish the Center for Civic Excellence at Utah State University and provided $551,100 in ongoing funds. This center will develop and pilot a new curricular approach to general education requirements and make USU a national leader in general education reform, creating an integrated, student-centered program that will prepare students for success.
A central goal of the center is the cultivation of civic mindedness—equipping students with broad cultural literacy and cultivating in them an understanding of western and world civilizations. Thoughtful citizenship requires an understanding of the intellectual history behind the founding principles of America and U.S. history, both the moments to be proud of and the tragic events to learn from. Developing these civic skills will prepare USU graduates to contribute to a pluralistic and free society as they help solve the complex problems of the 21st century.
A New Curricular Approach
The new Center for Civic Excellence will offer a program with purpose-built courses dedicated to engaging students in civil and rigorous intellectual inquiry, across ideological differences. Through engagement with seminal texts and ideas, students will develop an understanding of all sides of the big questions and great debates which have shaped our history and continue to inform contemporary debates in the public square. The center is explicitly committed to viewpoint diversity, helping students rise above ideological lenses, immediate reactions, and echo chambers, with a focus on teaching them how to think rather than what to think.
The bill enshrines values that are authentic to the university—free expression, viewpoint diversity, civil and rigorous dialogue in the pursuit of truth, and faculty governance of the curriculum. The bill does not prescribe any particular text or topic, and it honors the faculty role in developing and assessing curriculum.
Provost Office Leadership
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Harrison Kleiner | Vice Provost over Undergraduate Education |
| Matt Sanders | Interim Associate Vice Provost of the Center for Civic Excellence |
Steering Committees
Governance
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Brian Warnick | Applied Sciences, Technology & Education |
| Christopher Corcoran | Data Analytcs & Information Systems |
| Damon Cann | Political Sciences |
| Jeff Aird | Office of Data Analytics |
| Lezlie Christensen-Branum | English |
| Mateja Savoie Roskos | Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Sciences |
| Patrick Mason | History, Cultures & Ideas |
| Sylvia Read | Education |
| Tonya Triplett | Physics |
| Scott Bates | Psychology |
Creative Arts
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Christopher Scheer | Music |
| David Anderson | Landscape & Design |
| David Wall | Art & Design |
| Kevin Olson | Music |
| Nicholas Morrison | Caine School of Arts |
| Richie Call | Theatre Arts |
| Wade Goodridge | Engineering |
| Laura Gelfand | Art & Design |
Integrated Humanities
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Charlie Huenemann | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
| Dustin Crawford | English |
| Keri Holt | English |
| Michaelanne Nelson | English & USU Eastern |
| Patrick Mason | History, Cultures & Ideas |
| Mike Ashfield | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
| Susan Cogan | History, Cultures & Ideas |
| Rachel Robison | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
Communication Literacy
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Amanda Lilly | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
| Beth Buyserie | English |
| Genevieve Ford | English |
| Lezlie Christensen-Branum | English |
| Russ Winn | English |
Integrated Humanities Readings
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Brittany Gentry Oakes | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
| Christine Cooper Rompato | English |
| James Sanders | History, Cultures & Ideas |
| Michael Otteson | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
| Susan Shapiro | History, Cultures & Ideas |
Physical & Life Sciences
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Jen Burbank | Biology |
| Marlene Graf | Nutrition, Dietetics & Food Sciences |
| Edward Hammill | Watershed Sciences |
| Rose Judd-Murray | Applied Sciences, Technology & Education |
| Missy Kofoed | Chemistry |
| Katie Potter | Geosciences |
| Robert Davies | Physics |
| Tonya Triplett | Physics |
Social Sciences
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Bret Crane | Marketing & Strategy |
| Jenn Grewe | Psychology |
| Clair Canfield | Communication Studies & Philosophy |
| Stephen VanGeem | School of Social Sciences |
| Lucas Rentschler | Economics and Finance |
| Travis Dorsch | Human Development and Family Studies |
| Nate Trauntvein | Kinesiology & Health Science |
American Institutions
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Anthony Peacock | Political Science |
| Damon Cann | Political Science |
| Craig Palsson | Economics and Finance |
| Kyle Bulthuis | History, Cultures & Ideas |
| Rebecca Andersen | History, Cultures & Ideas |
| Ryan Bosworth | Applied Economics |
| T. Scott Findley | Economics and Finance |
Frequently Asked Questions
Internal discussions about general education reform at USU began more than a year ago. The university's ordinary process would have been to expand the circle of discussion to a broader set of faculty stakeholders in a collaborative process. But the legislative session intervened in that process. The governor's office reached out to USU leaders in January to explore the possibility of a school for civic thought. The provost's office was encouraged to work with Senator Johnson, who was prepared to re-introduce a bill from the 2024 session and began working collaborating on at the end of January.
This bill preserves faculty governance in important ways, which was under considerable threat by the previous bill. Under the bill, faculty experts on a center curriculum committee will build out and "own" the curriculum. The bill describes broad principles and values for the curriculum, but these principles—free expression, viewpoint diversity, exposure to opposing points of view, engagement with great debates, enduring ideas, and seminal texts—have always been central values of classically liberal education.
The humanities classes will be predominantly western, which reflects current curriculum and makes sense for a university in the west, but that also means that every class can cover non-western thought. The faculty curriculum committee will need to build out specific guidance, but the bill's language will allow us to ensure that there is more, not less, exposure to non-western content in the new curriculum. The curriculum will expose students to a diverse range of viewpoints and perspectives from across history, from ancient times to post-enlightenment, as well as more contemporary perspectives.
Developing written and oral communication skills is essential for success after graduation. USU is obligated to meet the standards and outcomes of Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) policy R470, which includes six credits of composition. The new center will take a different approach to teaching written and oral communication, modeled after the very successful Cornerstone certificate program at Purdue University, a model which has been adopted by dozens of institutions around the country. This model integrates communication skills with humanities courses. We will be working with composition experts on campus as we build out this new model.
USU's general education will still include all of the other required designation areas outlined in USHE R470, including quantitative literacy, breadth physical science, life science, creative arts, and social science.
USU's general education will still include all of the other required designation areas outlined in USHE R470, including quantitative literacy, breadth physical science, life science, creative arts, and social science.
We will have as much demand, and in some cases more, for general education seats and classes as we had before, so the Center for Civic Excellence needs all of the current teaching capacity. Though course content and governance will be modified, the establishment of this center makes general education more prominent at USU and ties it directly to the university's strategic goals and long-term success. Faculty will build out the curriculum of general education courses, and the center will work with departments to staff those classes. The center is not making any department decisions about hiring or terminations during the reallocation process.
In USU's current distribution model of general education, departments largely teach introductory classes from their major/discipline that then count toward general education requirements. General education designation areas, therefore, have dozens of classes in several majors that count as a general education course. Students choose classes from the list of options.
The Center for Civic Excellence will require purpose-built general education classes that are not "introduction to major" courses and which have a more interdisciplinary focus. Instead of dozens of options that also count toward major requirements, courses will need to be designed cohesively and taught to build civic understanding, portable intellectual abilities and durable professional skills that enhance personal and civic engagement. The center will teach all USHE R470 general education designations, but the content of those courses will cohere as a meaningful program of study in which students will see their personal and intellectual development moving toward their educational goals.
The Center for Civic Excellence will require purpose-built general education classes that are not "introduction to major" courses and which have a more interdisciplinary focus. Instead of dozens of options that also count toward major requirements, courses will need to be designed cohesively and taught to build civic understanding, portable intellectual abilities and durable professional skills that enhance personal and civic engagement. The center will teach all USHE R470 general education designations, but the content of those courses will cohere as a meaningful program of study in which students will see their personal and intellectual development moving toward their educational goals.
The Center for Civic Excellence will function with full faculty governance of the curriculum. As a university-wide program, it will be housed in the Office of the Provost and governed by faculty experts as a cohesive academic program. This will give the center direct governance over general education like every other academic program at the university.
Center leadership will develop the curriculum committee based on general education program expertise. That committee will lead the process of building out the new program and purpose-built new general education courses, which will then be approved by the University Curriculum Committee and the Education Policies Committee of the Faculty Senate. The committee will also help develop processes for program and instructor assessment.
Center leadership will develop the curriculum committee based on general education program expertise. That committee will lead the process of building out the new program and purpose-built new general education courses, which will then be approved by the University Curriculum Committee and the Education Policies Committee of the Faculty Senate. The committee will also help develop processes for program and instructor assessment.
Faculty will be affiliated teachers with the Center for Civic Excellence, but their academic home will be in their disciplinary department. They will teach general education classes that the center needs to fulfill the requirements and principles that animate it. Those classes will not be major-specific courses but will draw on disciplinary knowledge to meet the mission and goals the center.
The center seeks faculty who are dedicated to teaching first-year students, willing to mentor new students, excited to revise curriculum to meet 21st century civic and professional challenges, and who are fully committed to the foundational academic principles of the center including viewpoint diversity, teaching opposing points of view, etc.
The center will provide extensive professional development and support for its affiliate faculty. This is an opportunity for faculty growth as much as student growth, as faculty will need to rely on each other to develop in new areas to teach in more interdisciplinary ways. Syllabi, IDEA evaluations, and overall teaching quality will be evaluated by the center's curriculum committee and those evaluations will be shared with department heads.
The center seeks faculty who are dedicated to teaching first-year students, willing to mentor new students, excited to revise curriculum to meet 21st century civic and professional challenges, and who are fully committed to the foundational academic principles of the center including viewpoint diversity, teaching opposing points of view, etc.
The center will provide extensive professional development and support for its affiliate faculty. This is an opportunity for faculty growth as much as student growth, as faculty will need to rely on each other to develop in new areas to teach in more interdisciplinary ways. Syllabi, IDEA evaluations, and overall teaching quality will be evaluated by the center's curriculum committee and those evaluations will be shared with department heads.
This reform will have no impact on students bringing in concurrent enrollment or transfer credit into USU. The new curriculum will align with the existing Utah System of Higher Education board policy R470 and so will ensure seamless transfer of general education into and out of USU.
Courses will meet the criteria outlined in policy R470 and transfer seamlessly to other state schools in Utah. General education courses articulated by USU will be evaluated using the same criteria and process we follow now. If a student has earned general education credit at another institution, or through concurrent enrollment, USU will give those students general education credit for courses completed to hold them harmless in transfer (per USHE policy). Similarly, students transferring out of USU to another USHE institution will have their general education learning honored by their new institution.
Courses will meet the criteria outlined in policy R470 and transfer seamlessly to other state schools in Utah. General education courses articulated by USU will be evaluated using the same criteria and process we follow now. If a student has earned general education credit at another institution, or through concurrent enrollment, USU will give those students general education credit for courses completed to hold them harmless in transfer (per USHE policy). Similarly, students transferring out of USU to another USHE institution will have their general education learning honored by their new institution.