Vanderbilt went through this a couple of years ago. We are in year 2 of implementation. The reasoning on our campus was a better understanding of why a student choses a class to fulfill the CORE requirements rather than a bunch of random classes. I don't know that it's working the way intended, but it easier for the students to finish up the CORE by their sophomore year than in the old system.
My real thoughts, though, is that Gen Ed classes will always be that: Gen Ed. While I understand breadth of knowledge and experience helps to build a well rounded student, I also firmly believe some classes and curriculum are built to keep certain departments afloat.
There is a lot of work that goes into changing a CORE curriculum. Just be careful of promises made by administration during the change process. A college or university can bite off way more than initially planned if not careful.
