The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin (UW) System has proposed a new policy as a result of provisions in the 2025-2027 Biennial Budget. According to a UW press release, this policy will establish “a student-friendly approach to transfer that will guarantee that core general education credits earned at one UW university will transfer and apply towards graduation requirements at another UW university.”

Core general education requirements (CGER) are the courses outside of a student’s major and minor requirements needed for graduation.

The Regent policy has proposed CGER as six broad categories with a requirement of at least 10-12 courses and 30-36 credit hours. Each UW campus will set its own policy that fits within these guidelines. If approved, this will replace UW-Eau Claire’s Liberal Education (LE) requirements and standardize course categories across the 13 UWs to “ensure transferability.”

The six CGER broad categories are mathematics and quantitative reasoning, communication and literacy, social and behavioral sciences, humanities and arts, natural science and wellness and civics and perspectives. UWs will not be able to add additional categories.

Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Mary Hoffman said this policy, if approved, will change certain UW-Eau Claire graduation requirements. Creativity (S3), Integration (I1) and Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) do not fit within the CGER categories.

“Lots of those things already happen in the upper division in majors,” Hoffman said. “Majors are going to keep teaching integration. They’re going to keep teaching creativity. Students are still going to have those experiences, they’re just not going to check a box on the degree audit.” 

According to Hoffman, UW-Eau Claire’s current Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (R1), Global Perspectives (R2) and Civic and Environmental Issues (R3) outcomes will not remain as distinct outcomes. Rather, she said those courses will be placed within the new civics and perspectives category and still be taught.

In UW-Eau Claire’s current LE system, courses approved for Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (R1) can also be denoted as meeting the Design for Diversity (DDIV) requirement. The catalog lists this as the “UW System Design for Diversity requirement” even though UW System guidance indicates there are no UW system cultural diversity requirements.

The UW website states, “The Universities of Wisconsin through the Board of Regents do not require ethnic studies or cultural diversity courses. Individual universities currently have discretion in this area and that autonomy is not subject to change.”

On July 3, 2025, the Wisconsin State Legislature approved 2025 Wisconsin Act 15, which amended section 134 in state statute 36.11 (3)(b) to “provide that, no later than September 1, 2026, all credits for core general education courses, as defined in s. 36.31 (2m) (a) 2., are transferable between institutions within the system and satisfy general education requirements at the receiving institution.”

The Board of Regents will meet on Nov. 19 to vote on the CGER policy, which only applies to undergraduate students who first enroll for fall 2026.

Kris Knutson is a UW-Eau Claire communication and journalism professor and the chair of the University Liberal Education Committee (ULEC), which she said will be responsible for designating UW-Eau Claire’s courses within the new CGER categories, if approved. She said her main concern is the speed at which this change would need to take place.

“It doesn’t give people a lot of time to process,” Knutson said. “… The issue really becomes, (ULEC) has to be prepared for whatever happens in November.”

Hoffman said UW-Eau Claire had a general education system until about 10 years ago, when the transition to the current LE system was established. She said that process took about 10 years to complete, whereas the current proposed transition from LE to CGER would need to happen in about six months.

Despite this challenge for faculty, Knutson said she doesn’t believe this change would have a negative impact on students’ learning experiences at UW-Eau Claire if approved.

“Students are going to have access to high-quality classes that teach them lots of great topics,” Knutson said. “Classes that existed in the different LE categories before are going to transition into the new categories … Nothing about this change mandates that people teach their classes differently.”

From Sept. 24 to Oct. 8, the proposed Regent policy was shared with all UWs for comments and feedback.

Peter Hart-Brinson, a UW-Eau Claire sociology professor, is president of the United Faculty and Staff union on campus, which is part of the Wisconsin American Federation of Teachers (AFT) . He said that several UW campuses have introduced resolutions to their University Senates rejecting this proposal, and the union is supporting a movement to do this across the system.

“The unions are very worried that imposing the same general education system on every campus across the state would allow for politicians to take additional steps at regulating the curriculum or interfering in campus free speech,” Hart-Brinson said. “… I have never seen a policy come down that is more universally disliked.”

On Oct. 14, UW-Eau Claire’s University Senate presented a first reading of their resolution, which states that “faculty and staff enthusiastically approve of the ‘Transfer Rules’ outlined in the ‘University of Wisconsin Core General Education Requirements’ memorandum of September 26, 2025, but reject the imposition of a universal ‘Core General Education Requirement Model’ for all campuses outlined in that document.”

The resolution, provided by co-author Lori Bica, claims the proposed policy would reduce students’ exposure to disciplines beyond their major as well as their learning of different cultures, perspectives and mindsets and imposes a “one-size fits all” approach, eliminating the “unique personality” of each UW.

Bica said the University Senate will meet on Oct. 28 for a second reading of the resolution and vote.

According to Hart-Brinson, there is concern regarding the difference in text between Act 15 and the proposed CGER policy.

Section 134 in state statute 36.11 (3)(b) states, “… the board shall establish policies for the appropriate transfer of credits between institutions within the system, including postsecondary credits earned by a high school pupil enrolled in a course at an institution within the system.”

Hart-Brinson said Act 15 does not state that all universities in the UW system must adopt one CGER framework.

“We see (CGER) as a significant misinterpretation of what Act 15 actually says,” Hart-Brinson said. “We see it as an interpretation that actually violates (Statute 36.09(3)(a)) that leaves curricular decisions to be determined by chancellors and faculty.” 

Statute 36.09(3)(a) states, “Subject to board policy the chancellors of the institutions in consultation with their faculties shall be responsible for designing curricula and setting degree requirements; determining academic standards and establishing grading systems.”

Ally Etzler is a third-year political science student and the director of Student Senate’s Intergovernmental Affairs Commission.

“I think it’s concerning that it’s taking a lot of power and control from administration at universities away from them, when for so long they’ve been independent,” Etzler said. 

On Oct. 14, AFT-Wisconsin’s Vice President of Higher Education Council Neil Kraus gave a talk on campus titled “Austerity, Act 15 and the UW System’s Corporate Priorities for Our Universities.” 

Kraus’s talking points included the current and future implications of the proposed policy for all UW campuses. He said he believes that, if approved, it will lead to the “inevitable” loss of faculty jobs and programs.

“(CGER) is just trying to narrow education to try to produce — really overproduce — workers in certain fields that’s favorable to industry,” Kraus said.

According to Etzler, the Student Senate has the opportunity to act against this policy, write legislation and send it to the Board of Regents.

“From my understanding and what I’ve been told, students have a more powerful voice than faculty,” Etzler said. “… Make sure that (the Board of Regents) know that our students, we support our faculty, and Act 15 is not a good thing.”

Kraus said he urges those in opposition of the CGER policy, including students, to contact local elected representatives, talk to journalists and organize protests between now and the Board of Regents’ meeting on Nov. 19.

Hart-Brinson said he agrees with this advice.

“A policy change that seems to be political in nature would have potentially very negative impacts on student free choice for the foreseeable future if this goes through,” Hart-Brinson said. “I hope that students will take the time to educate themselves about it and have their voices heard.”

As the UW system moves toward a decision on a new policy, its implications for students, faculty and the future of higher education in Wisconsin remain uncertain.

Matczak can be reached at [email protected].