About Our Constitute

How many times have you been at a General Education conference and have thought “well, these guys have an ideal environment, but their solutions will not work in our messy campus?”  Or “this presentation addresses all the philosophical and pedagogical key points, but how can it possibly be implemented?”  While there is clearly value in being in those situations, the AGLS constitute will offer you a very different kind of environment.

I remember very clearly the first time I attended.  I was one of a dozen attendees or so to one of the pre-conference workshops.  As a newly appointed Dean of our General Education Program, I wanted to get ideas on implementation of our recently approved program.  The workshop “Unpacking General Education Outcomes for Deeper Student Learning and Success” was exactly what it said.  The moderators put our brains to work.  We all participated.  We all shared our goals, our obstacles, our fears, and our hopes.  And we all came out with a plan to put this to work at our home universities.  AGLS has room for any institution: large publics, small liberal art colleges, elite privates, state comprehensives, fully online universities.  All have a seat at the table, a story to share, an obstacle to overcome, and a plan to develop.

When you come, be prepared to apply what you hear to your specific situation.  Be ready to share your experiences.  Be receptive to what others have to say.  This is a hands on meeting for people who are in the front lines of General Education as faculty, as administrators of the program, as assessment specialists, as university administrators, or in any other capacity.

I attended my first constitute on the advice of a colleague.  Fantastic advice.  I have not missed a single one since then. I have always returned home energized, full of specific ideas to address the specific issues that I face at my home institution.  I have met great colleagues who have made it easy to exchange ideas and who are willing to help.  The sessions are always well vetted and are developed to address the practical issues and help you to formulate your own solutions.  In these days of decreasing budgets, I always worry about using wisely my funding for worthwhile meetings.  But what I do know is that the AGLS constitute is the one I cannot afford to miss.

Pedro Muino, Professor of Chemistry     University of Saint Francis

The AGLS Annual Constitute offers general and liberal education facilitators, administrators, instructors, and leaders the unique opportunity to gather and explore the nuts and bolts of the development, reform, assessment, philosophy, and delivery of high-quality student-centered programs. This signature event allows higher education professionals from colleges and university of all sizes and types, from across the nation and beyond, the time and space to expand and strengthen a strong network of colleagues with shared passions, responsibilities, and goals. None of us need perform this challenging and rewarding work in isolation, so let’s get together, work together, and improve general and liberal education for our students together.

The Association for General and Liberal Studies is a national organization designed to provide Gen Ed faculty and administrators with practical knowledge and experiences for creating, revising, and running a quality program. We have helped individuals, programs and institutions with everything from communication and marketing to day-to-day administrative operations to innovations in the classroom. In 2022, our goal once again is to create a professional development experience devoted solely to matters practical that gets all meeting participants engaging, sharing, and leaving each session with concrete ‘take-aways’—ideas you can use!