About

This is a blog by Ken O’Donnell, begun in 2010 as a place where I can record and share my thinking about higher ed in the state of California.  At the CSU Office of the Chancellor I’m responsible for general education, the curriculum found in every undergraduate degree, regardless of the student’s major or home campus.

You can download my presentations by right-clicking on an icon to the right and choosing Save As.  The files are large and will take a few minutes to download.  You can see what I said in Notes Pages view.  You’re welcome to use the material however you like, with or without attribution, or email me if you want to follow up.

This blog and the presentations I give are influenced by what I read, much of it collected here.  Because it reaches every student, general education relates to most of the issues facing the statewide system:  transfer and relations with the community colleges, faculty governance, and our efforts to improve our graduation rates and narrow achievement gaps all relate to GE.

And it’s fun.  Most academic subjects land here, since it’s where students pick up the broad learning expected of college graduates.  That can make it feel like a shapeless collection of Stuff We Know, but when it’s done right general education is also a source of intellectual versatility, fascination with the world, perpetual employability in a changing global economy, and — honest to God – lifelong happiness.