Task forces often are pageants put on for show that bring about painfully incremental, if any, change.

Let’s hope Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little’s Task Force on Retention and Graduation will rise above the usual stagnancy of bureaucratic committees.

A KU news release this week congratulated Gray-Little on meeting the task force’s first goal by appointing Christopher Haufler, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, “to direct implementation of the task force’s recommendations.”

That sounds like merely a single step in the mile-long journey through KU’s administration.

This task force, and the Chancellor’s two others for that matter, address fundamental weaknesses of the University, which if properly addressed could drastically improve the quality of education, instruction and life for students.

The lofty recommendations from the retention task force’s report are all sound and good. Some recommendations might create additional work for students, but it’s clear each requirement is designed to enhance the educational experience for students and faculty. And that’s a good start for improving the research and academic profile of the University. That in turn will increase the value of a KU degree and the desirability of KU graduates.

But appointing another faculty member to another leadership position isn’t truly progress. Let’s just wait and see if these recommendations actually come to fruition.

Perhaps the most important recommendation of the task force is a complete revamping of KU’s general education requirements — a change long overdue. Nearly 20 percent of students who have completed their major requirements fail to graduate because of unfulfilled general education requirements, the task force’s report found.

That number is disturbing.

Instead of complementing one’s major course load, general requirements are serving as a blockade to graduation. While some variety in coursework is inherently beneficial, it’s obviously gotten out of hand — KU requires 30 to 50 percent more general education credit hours than other comparable research universities, the report states.

With this finding, students are reassured of what they already knew: It’s increasingly difficult to earn an undergraduate degree at KU in four years.

All the while, the University continues heavy marketing of its four-year tuition compact, which entices students to finish in four years with discounted and stable tuition rates. It’s counter-intuitive.

In an increasingly competitive job market, students, especially those in the professional schools, should spend more time taking classes within their majors and less time taking classes on bowling, earthquakes and ancient Rome. These classes waste students’ money and time and distract from career-minded courses.

Another wise recommendation calls for a new “early warning system.” The new system would identify students who struggle early on and intervene with advising and support. If this warning system is non-threatening and constructive, it could go a long way in keeping students here until graduation. That’s good for students and good for the University.

Other recommendations of the task force, which merit immediate implementation:

*Restructure advising to make transitioning between years and departments easier. This is especially important given the fact that nearly three-quarters of students change majors while at KU, the report finds.

*Increase faculty and student participation in service learning projects.

*Reduce graduation requirement from 124 to 120 credit hours.

*Establish an Office of Undergraduate Research to create opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research.

*Incorporate more interaction, writing and problem-solving activities through a course redesign, especially for large lecture classes.

As stated, these are all wholesome recommendations that would provide clear benefits to students.

KU needs the chancellor to turn these suggestions into policy.

Many of these recommendations come with a low or non-existent cost of implementation. No buildings need to be built and no staff or faculty needs to be hired. Administrators should be able to enact these ideas rather seamlessly.

Now, let’s see if they do.