The University’s first-year program, BGeXperience isn’t just for freshmen anymore.

Thanks to a grant from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the BG faculty members and students will be able to expand the program into the general curriculum.

Faculty members will also work with student organizations to promote greater involvement in community service.

The $25,000 grant will help university leaders, BGX and the Office of Service Learning, create a new curriculum that integrates ethical and social responsibility into most university classes.

This grant would also encourage AACU’s five principles – excellence, integrity, community, perspectives and competence – to be integrated into classroom and experiences.

Since it was started four years ago, the goal of the BGX program has been to aid first-year students in their transition from high school into college. For the past two years, all incoming freshmen have been required to complete the program in the hope that it would help them connect with others through the common reading experience and discussions about values.

Donald Nieman, dean of Arts and Sciences, said the program acts as a platform to give students a more sophisticated understanding of how values and ethics affect the future.

These discussions build, so the University has a curriculum to help students become more thoughtful and make good judgment as citizens, professionals or parents, Nieman said.

‘By making them better people, they are placed in higher demand not only in a professional atmosphere but also in the community,’ Nieman said.

Despite the university’s large investment in the program, some students don’t believe it should be required for upperclassmen as well.

Sophomore Jennifer Ewing said she believes the BGX program should only be used the first year.

‘Core values are most beneficial to freshmen coming in,’ Ewing said. ‘If you extend the program past the first year, the subject material will be mundane. Reinforcing them will turn away from the benefits of learning values.’

BGeX Program Director George Agich said the grant leads him to believe programs like this are the future of liberal arts schools across the nation.

He said he hopes the program will help professors and student organizations get more involved in the community by providing credit hours for philanthropy and time spent volunteering.

By encouraging full service learning and values beyond the first year, the University is trying to create a better environment that will link classwork with real-world experience, he said.

Most people learn most effectively when using their knowledge in a real-world context, Nieman said.

‘Everyone benefits from support from a larger community,’ Nieman said. ‘Society works by helping one

another.’

Next fall, the University will give students, staff and faculty members the opportunity to participate in focus groups to share ideas about BG’s role in the community and ways to advance moral beliefs.

The AACU will aid in administering questions to help assess how the University feels about values education.

The answers will come from campus, Agich said.

After considering this information, proposals will be made, three of them will be selected by a small committee to shape the proposals and new classes and programs will be formed.