WHEN WE WERE NORMAL
A Historical Augmented Reality Walking Tour
The Great Curriculum Shift
LOCATION: FOYER COLUMN WEST
From the beginning of his administration, President William J. Sanders championed a strong liberal arts preparation as crucial to a future teacher's education. He was not alone in finding inspiration in the 1945 Harvard Report, General Education in a Free Society, or the report titled A Design for General Education published around the same time.
The Harvard Report discussed how a general education curriculum encourages students “to think effectively, to communicate thought, to make relevant judgements, [and] to discriminate among values.” A general education creates well-rounded people who are able to empathize with and understand other branches of life beyond their direct experience.
Sanders enlisted faculty members to redesign the college program to incorporate more concepts from the Harvard Report and other such studies regarding general education. Fitchburg State shifted the curriculum for the 1945-46 school year when they required two and one-half years of general education and one and one-half years of professional education.
The two and one-half year portion of the program was outlined as follows:
For the professional portion the students at the time could choose from four majors: Elementary School Education; Junior High School Education; Industrial Arts Education, or Nursing Education (in affiliation with Burbank Hospital School of Nursing). By 1967, new majors included Special Education, Medical Technology, Biology, English, History, and Physics. Also included in the catalog were Bachelor of Science in Education programs to prepare secondary school teachers who needed deeper subject knowledge. Such programs existed for Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, History, Physics, and Mathematics
This doubled the number of math and science classes required, introduced the inclusion of human behavioural and social sciences classes, and turned optional fine arts electives into requirements. This change was designed to give students a “a well-rounded background in the arts, sciences, and humanities for personal and intellectual development toward a leadership role in society.”
The general education program drastically changed the nature of the school and created a need for more buildings on campus and faculty in classrooms. The Conlon, Condike, and Sanders buildings provided space for instruction in science, music, art, and other electives. Creating the general education program at Fitchburg State planted the seeds for future academic departments, majors, and concentrations that we see on campus today. While in 1945 Fitchburg State had only four majors, by 2018 it expanded to 29 undergraduate majors with 54 concentrations and 41 graduate degrees.
