In February 2021, Brigham Young University released a report conducted by the Committee on Race, Equity and Belonging (CoREB). Based on information gathered from meeting with faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni and over 500 online submissions, the report features 26 recommendations on ways BYU can improve.
In the report, the committee recommends that the university “… [c]ommit to changes to general education, religion, and elective courses that educate students on race, unity, and diversity.” The report recognizes the general education redesign efforts underway, citing Undergraduate Education’s (UE) “Statement on Inclusion and Diversity.” This statement highlights the commitment to revise the current program and broaden its diversity requirement.
The GE Program’s commitment “to building and expanding our diversity requirement” didn’t start in 2020. Dean of Undergraduate Education Susan S. Rugh said, “The need for more courses in diversity and inclusion in general education was a primary driver in the decision to launch a GE redesign in 2018.”
“For several years we have been working on ways to make cross-cultural competencies a more central part of our general education curriculum,” said Christopher Oscarson, Undergraduate Education associate dean. “This report and its recommendations add urgency to that initiative. The General Education program will consider the recommendations made by the committee so we can provide a better education for our students, train our faculty, and make campus a safer learning environment.”
The report brings new light to the progress the GE redesign committee has made to improve the current program. President Kevin J Worthen provided additional recognition to these efforts in the University press release:
“’All of the recommendations are extremely helpful,’” Worthen said. “Some of them, such as making curricular changes to general education, religion and elective courses that educate students on race, unity and diversity, as well as establishing college-wide statements on race and belonging, are already in process. [...] Others will take more time; some will require additional consideration.’”
To read the full report, visit news.byu.edu/announcements/report-race-equity-belonging. Additional reporting on the CoREB report can be found, at the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune.