Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Teaching an excellent core curriculum is one of the most fundamental public services of our University. Our students are entering a complex and challenging world. We must prepare them to have wisdom to be ready to lead, ready to be great citizens, and ready to be positive contributors to our society. A well-designed and well-taught core curriculum — a common learning experience shared across all majors — is key to meeting this mission.

To renew this commitment, we are establishing a Core Curriculum Task Force. Its mandate is to conduct a thorough review of the University’s existing general education curriculum. The task force will consider opportunities to better fulfill the purpose of this curriculum and identify gaps in quality, rigor, or intellectual cohesion. The task force will also propose revisions so that the new core curriculum offers a meaningful and thorough learning experience for all UT students. It will engage in its work throughout this academic year, with the goal of producing a report by May.

We are grateful to the following distinguished faculty members, representing a wide range of perspectives and disciplines, for their willingness to serve on this task force:

  • Carola Binder (School of Civic Leadership)
  • H.W. Brands (Department of History)
  • Douglas Bruster (Department of English)
  • Scott Carrell (Department of Economics and School of Civic Leadership)
  • Renita Coleman (School of Journalism and Media)
  • James Curley (Department of Psychology)
  • Michael Drew (Department of Neuroscience)
  • Patricio Fernandez (Department of Philosophy and School of Civic Leadership)
  • Maria Pia Gualdani (Department of Mathematics)
  • Adam Klivans (Department of Computer Science)
  • Robert Koons (Department of Philosophy)
  • David Leal (Department of Government)
  • Kirk Lynn (Department of Theatre and Dance)
  • Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay (College of Pharmacy)
  • Richard Reddick (Department of Educational Leadership and Policy)
  • Dana Stauffer (Department of Government)
  • Devin Stauffer (Department of Government)
  • Michael Webber (Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and LBJ School of Public Affairs)

The work of this task force is a significant priority for the University during the coming year, and we look forward to engaging a broad range of stakeholders and sharing updates during the months ahead.

Sincerely, 

Jim Davis
President