The Provost’s Office announced in an email that the PLAN curriculum was being modified on Jan. 12. A town hall was hosted to answer questions from students about how changes to the curriculum might impact them during the Student Government Association (SGA)House Forum on Jan. 25.

PLAN, (Purpose Leadership ActioN), serves as Simmons’ core curriculum. It intends to “help you find your purpose, practice leadership, and put your knowledge and skills into action,” according to Simmons’ website.

Changes include adjustments to language requirements, “the elimination of the 3D requirement, and [a new] Integrative Learning Course” to replace the Learning Community, said SGA Academic Affairs Officer Kate Farrell.

“In the Fall of 2023, it is no longer possible to take the Learning Community,” said Interim Dean of the Undergraduate Program Kelly Hager. “You will take an Integrated Learning Course instead.” Currently, the Learning Community consists of three courses totaling eight credits. The new Integrative Learning Course will be a single class for four credits.

Students will also no longer be required to complete a 3D Project. The 3D Project, also known as Design Across Diverse Disciplines, was “designed to hone students’ skills in integrated learning and interdisciplinarity.”

According to Dean Hager, current students graduating after August 2023 can still choose to complete the 3D Project. “It’s the Fall of 2026 when you can no longer do the 3D,” she said. 

Those graduating in May 2023 or August 2023 “follow current requirements outlined in the 2022-2023 catalog,” as stated in the email sent on  Jan. 12. 

Dean Hager explained that “students graduating after August 2023 can either meet the current requirements or the modified PLAN requirements, with the exception of the fact that they will take an Integrative Learning Course as opposed to a Learning Community” if they haven’t done so already.

Going forward, students will have alternative options to complete the language requirement for graduation. The Provost’s Office sent a follow-up email on Jan. 20 further explaining the new ways to meet the requirements. “The new graduation requirement is met by the successful completion of the 102 level in any modern language or the equivalent,” as stated in the email.

Students are now able to test out of taking a language. “If you have tested into 201, the language requirement for graduation has been met,” said Chair of the Modern Languages and Literature Department Eduardo Febles. He explained that if a student tests into 102, they will not need to take 201. 

Changes made to the PLAN curriculum will not impact the number of credits required for graduation. “128 credits were required to graduate before the modifications to PLAN. After the modifications, [we still require] 128. This gives you more room for your non-Gen-Ed classes,” Dean Hager stated.

“I know big changes like this are really stressful, especially in the middle of your college career,” said Farrell. “We also heard a lot of the complaints about PLAN over the years and we wanted to make steps in the right direction to make it fit the student body more. We believe this will leave more room to foster more of a liberal arts environment that the students here at Simmons want.”

Questions about the new language requirement and what impact it might have on various majors can be directed to mll@simmons.edu. Students can also attend Farrell’s office hours on Wednesdays from 12-2 p.m. or set up a time to meet with Dean Hager to discuss the modified PLAN requirements.