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General Education Requirement Committee

The General Education Requirement Committee (GERC) is one of four curricular committees the faculty maintains to provide the first level of consideration for particular academic matters at the College; all GERC actions are subject to review by the Educational Policy and Governance (EPAG) Committee.

Macalester has four General Education requirements (GERs): Internationalism, Quantitative Thinking, U.S. Identities and Differences, and Writing; click on the GER below for its rationale and learning outcomes:

InternationalismQuantitative ThinkingUS Identities and DifferencesWriting

GERC approves courses that fulfill these requirements.  SUBMIT a GER Proposal or Review Sample Proposals.

If you have any questions, please contact the 2025-26 committee member assigned to the particular GER:

  • Cari Gillen-O’Neel – Chair
  • Amy Damon – Internationalism fellow (application reviews in Fall ‘25)
  • Beth Severy-Hoven – Internationalism fellow (application reviews in Spring ‘26)
  • Christina Esposito – Quantitative Thinking fellow (application reviews in Fall ‘25)
  • Felix Friedt – Quantitative Thinking fellow (application reviews in Spring ‘26)
  • Myrl Beam – US Identities & Differences fellow (application reviews in Fall ‘25)
  • Duchess Harris – US Identities & Differences fellow (application reviews in Spring ‘26)
  • Brigetta Abel – Director of Writing and Associate Dean of Academic Success  (year-round application reviews)
  • Bethany Miller – Interim Registrar
  • Nancy Bostrom – Director of Assessment

Another of GERC’s roles is to “assist in evaluating whether the goals of the requirements are being fulfilled on an institutional basis in consultation with relevant College programs, offices, and individuals.”  The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment collaborates with GERC on general education assessment.

Please see the Provost’s Reports and Planning webpage for recent GERC reports.