In an interview with The State News, Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz said he plans to reshape the undergraduate curriculum, will form a task force to prepare for President-Elect Donald Trump’s higher education plans and that he sees no chance of resurrection for the controversially-cut swim and dive teams.

Curriculum changes

Guskiewicz said he’s planning to announce a review of MSU’s general education curriculum, which would start a possibly lengthy process to modify the required courses for students in all majors.

The provost will lead the effort and convene a committee of faculty, but Guskiewicz said he’s also hoping to find ways to directly involve students in the process.

Their challenge will be balancing two priorities, Guskiewicz said. On one hand, he’s "a big believer in liberal arts education" and wants to see requirements that push students into subject areas unlike their majors. But, Guskiewicz said he also wants the new curriculum to offer flexibility, so as to support his goal of making it easier to study abroad, complete internships and participate in research.

Since arriving at MSU last year, Guskiewicz said he’s heard concerns about the current curriculum.  

"Anecdotally, I hear students are just checking a box to find a course that fits their schedule, and maybe not one that really provides, as I call it, vertical learning," he said.

Changing that could require both new course offerings from the faculty and a new system by which students select courses, he said.  

Guskiewicz cautioned students against expecting these changes anytime soon. He said a similar review he led at the University of North Carolina spent eight months just examining the current curriculum before the committee started designing and implementing new offerings.

Prep for Trump administration