So we had our first MetroCITI meeting at Teachers College, Columbia yesterday. (There are 4 more scheduled for the next week and a half.) I'm not sure how they managed it, but our group of ten includes faculty teaching in eight different disciplines in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, half of us from 4-year and half from 2-year colleges; we are also five women and five men, though most of the group are pigmentally challenged. My Lang colleague (a chemist) and I are among the among most senior people there, I think, and perhaps the only ones from a private institution... we're in for discussions about "liberal education" not only more interdisciplinary than most I've been part of, but also in a context at once more general and more focused than the liberal arts college of a university. Our brief is to share our experiences and perspectives on teaching liberal education (the broader area comprising liberal arts/general education) to first generation college students and students from historically underrepresented groups in the New York area. How exciting!
