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When President Bok released his sixth annual report to the University this week, no one was particularly surprised that he gave his support to the Core Curriculum proposal now being considered by the Faculty.

The core proposal is better than the current General Education program because it more carefully delineates areas of study, and ensures that each student will come more closely to gaining a "liberal education," Bok wrote in the report, which was devoted almost exclusively to the College.

The Gen Ed program needs to be changed, the report states, because it "lacks a clear sense of purpose and permits students to sample from too large and varied an assortment of courses."

But Bok added that there are other changes that may be necessary, changes that could significantly alter the education Harvard students receive.

A common complaint, Bok reported, is that "students are not really taught by the Faculty." This problem is most severe during a student's first two years here, when College life makes its greatest impact, Bok says.

To correct the problem, he wrote that some large departments "may simply have to enlarge the size of the faculty."

Another means of increasing the amount of Faculty teaching might be to expand the number of freshman seminars, and to develop core courses with small enrollments, the report states.

More teaching of undergraduates by Faculty members might not mean more informal contact between Faculty and students, however.

Bok wrote that "after examining the problem over a long period," he believes present Faculty office hours and other informal contacts may be sufficient to meet students' needs for out-of-class instruction.