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Experience beyond the Classroom


Our second guiding principle has been to encourage students to apply their learning beyond the
classroom. Anecdotal stories abound regarding the singular determination of students to “check off the
boxes” of their General Education rather than to seek the life experiences that make for a complete
undergraduate education. The education of a student who has experienced nothing more than lecture-
midterm-paper-final during his or her undergraduate career is not as well-rounded as one that includes
experience beyond the classroom. The addition of an experiential education component to the
curriculum is a crucial aspect of the new curriculum.

Opportunities for experiential learning at Stony Brook include research and scholarly activity, service
learning, study abroad, performance and creative activity, internship, field work, leadership, and
teaching and training assistantships. We estimate, based upon course title and enrollment, that roughly
3,500 students per year are currently engaged in experiential education. Since some students seek
multiple opportunities, we would like to roughly double present opportunities.