The last six years have been filled with meetings, discussion, data, voting, observing, revision and developing. Now the time has come to put the results of years of work to the test.

“It is exciting to start because we have put so much time and energy into this,” Erin Joyce, assistant dean for liberal studies, said. “We now are able to see the students in action.”

Students entering Baker as freshmen next fall will be placed under a pilot general education model, which will include a reduction to the amount of required courses needed to graduate.

“We want to move away from a distribution checklist, and to a core model,” Joyce said. “We have taken bits and pieces from other general education models, but the link courses make our model unique.”

Students will have the opportunity to count courses for dual, or link, credit with the replacement of the traditional liberal arts series for a liberal studies series.

Classes will focus more on developing writing, critical thinking and oral communication skills. Teachers will step back and let students lead. Less of an emphasis will be placed on tests, and more on discussions.

With the liberal studies course already being offered, positive feedback has been received from both students and professors.

“We have found students are more engaged, and work more creatively in teams,” Joyce said.

Despite positive feedback from piloted courses, staffing setbacks have already raised concern. Rand Ziegler, vice president and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, recognizes the challenges being faced after loosing a substantial number of staff members due to retirement and cuts last year.

For those professors who are teaching in the new model, they are required to go through training and workshops.

“Every teacher has to teach their content, but now they have to also be an expert in oral communication, critical thinking and writing,” Ziegler said.

With the model still a work in progress, the admission department is continuing to work on creating publications and a marketing campaign to inform potential students.

Mark Bandre, vice president for enrollment management and student development, makes sure to inform students he visits with of what makes Baker, and a liberal arts education, different.

“When I meet a prospective student, I have 30 seconds to a minute to sell our school,” Bandre said. “I like to say a liberal arts education is more learning how to think and prepare for the future.”