Recognizing a growing need for better-trained community college professors and administrators in California’s educational system, California State University and the University of California agreed last week to create new joint doctorate programs in education.
According to UC spokesman Michael Reese, the program’s main goal is to provide students pursuing a doctorate in education with access to the extensive resources of both university systems.
The program is designed primarily to train future school administrators and community college professors, Reese said, and will also help parts of California now underserved by both university systems.
“”The agreement builds on the mutual strengths of CSU and UC campuses while remaining consistent with the basic tenets of the California Master Plan for Higher Education,”” Reese said.
The CSU and UC systems will create a joint board to seek out and oversee proposals for joint doctorate programs and will provide $4 million in the first two years to fund such proposals. This board will be co-chaired by CSU Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer David S. Spence, and Provost and Senior Vice President for the UC system C. Judson King.
The two systems will then establish a regional assessment process to guarantee that the leadership needs of grades K-12 and community colleges are matched with resources from both university systems.
Finally, the two university systems will be equal partners in creating and maintaining any new joint doctorate in education programs.
Joint doctoral programs are not uncommon; according to the UC Office of the President, the UC and CSU systems already participate in 13 such programs. From 1990 to 2000, 281 doctoral students in UC-CSU joint programs graduated, 34 percent of which with education-related degrees.
Reese stressed that the doctorate of education program was in its earliest stages at this point, but hoped that the board could have some programs running by August 2002.
“”We’re reviewing different proposals, determining what the various needs are and forging details of these programs,”” he said. “”We’ve also begun to appoint members of the joint UC-CSU board.””
Randall Souviney, director of the Teacher Education Program at UCSD, agreed that the venture is in its earliest stages, and said that it is still too early to see any effects the new joint doctorate program will have on the teacher education program, or on how UCSD currently trains students interested in careers in education.
With 10 UC and 23 CSU campuses now in existence, the joint program will be able to call upon an extensive network of resources and locations. Combined, the two systems currently have over 500,000 students in attendance.
“”The program will provide a sound and fiscally responsible strategy to address the leadership needs of K-12 and community college educators,”” Reese said. “”We believe [this program] is in the best interests of California’s educators, the faculty of our two institutions and the people of California.””
