The New Jersey Department of Higher Education (DHE) adopted a revised set of General Education Regulations for community colleges in April 1983. The stated purposes of the regulations were to cause students to cease taking a disproportionate number of courses in a specific discipline; to require general education courses for certificate programs; and to facilitate articulation between county colleges and state colleges. The unstated purpose of the change in regulations was to extend DHE authority over the community colleges. The new regulations actually discouraged interdisciplinary offerings and innovations by imposing a specific curricular pattern. Mercer Community College responded by suggesting steps for the future to improve the general education programs despite the permanence of the DHE distribution program, including writing across the curriculum activities, pilot interdisciplinary offerings, forums focusing attention upon the connection between technology and general societal issues, and workshops for the college's Curriculum Committee regarding general education. (LAL)