Iona College has finalized a new core curriculum that focuses on a shared freshman experience but cuts humanities courses to do so.

The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the new core Nov. 19. The new core is planned to be implemented with the class of 2020, which will begin at Iona in the fall 2016 semester.

The new curriculum reduces the amount of credits needed to complete the core from 57 to 46.

Co-Chair of the Core Review and Political Science Department Chair Dr. Tricia Mulligan explained that the change in total credits was to allow more flexibility by the student to pursue a minor or double major.

“Some of the ideas that were widely supported included a freshman experience, more choice and flexibility, and perhaps a smaller core,” she said.

The new curriculum will include the Columba Cornerstone Seminar which will be a requirement for first semester students. Each seminar will have a distinctive theme that relates back to the Iona mission. Some of these themes include sustainability, diversity and ethics.

The second new addition to the core will be the incorporation of an Integrated Core Theme. The ICT will allow students to learn about an interdisciplinary topic such as American multiculturalism, Asian studies and human history through humanities courses. The ICT will total four courses: one centerpiece course to learn the major theme of the topic and three additional courses. The ICT must be chosen by the end of the student’s first year.

In order to make room for the new seminar and Integrated Core Theme and to allow for more flexibility in the core, credits were eliminated in other areas.

The humanities are where the most changes took place, as the requirements were reduced from 25 credits to 15.

Instead of taking a sequence of two classes in each of history, philosophy, religious studies and English literature, only one course will be necessary in each discipline.

The fine and performing arts requirement remains the same.

The foreign language requirements were shaken up as well. Instead of a sequence in foreign language, students will be required to take only one foreign language course. A “diversity, cross-cultural and global perspectives” course will take the place of the second course of the current sequence. These courses focus on diversity within the United States as well as non-Western political, social and economic topics.

Math, science and technology also take a reduction of total credits from 12-18 credits to nine credits. Students will be required to take one science course, one math course and one computer science course.

Social science classes remain at the current six required credits, but business courses will be added to the current selection of courses.

The honors program core is not affected by this new curriculum and will remain the same.

The core review committee asked students for input and had their approval.

“We met with SGA (Student Government Association), had a student town hall, and discussed the proposal with the student representatives to both the committee on academic affairs and college council,” Mulligan said. “They really liked this new model.”

Dr. Kiselica, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, is satisfied with this new curriculum and applauds the committee who helped put the new core together.

“I’m very grateful for Drs. Tricia Mulligan and Michael Jordan and the colleagues on the committee for helping to develop this curriculum,” he said.

The curriculum will not affect current students. The curriculum will ideally be implemented by Fall 2016, but needs approval from the State of New York first.