As Sacramento State administrators and faculty begin to envision how the new doctorate of education program will take shape, confusion has developed among faculty over who will be the program’s first director.

In an interview earlier this month, Rosemary Papa said she was the director of the new program that is set to launch in the fall of 2007. Papa is also the director of the year-old joint doctorate program with UC Davis and Sonoma State.

However, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Ric Brown said a director has not been named. He said the university is in the early stages of forming an advisory committee, which will be led by campus President Alexander Gonzalez and will developing a pre-proposal for the program and “hopefully” finalize it over the summer.

After this step, it will be decided on how to select a program director, Brown said. The advisory committee has not yet been created, and will include people from the campus and junior college and K-12 school community.

Mike Lee, associate vice president and dean for Academic Programs, said it is too early to say who will appoint the director.

But some faculty members have said that administrators have already picked a program director ?” without having that proper procedure of doing so in place.

“I think it has been clarified that Dr. Rosemary Papa is the director of our joint doctoral program,” Lee said.

“I’ll make it very clear: There is no director of the independent (doctorate),” Brown said. “That’s a long ways down,”

Papa could not be reached for comment; she is currently on jury duty, according to her office.

Brown said Papa is one of many who have been assigned to assist in the writing of the proposal of the independent doctorate.

Thursday, the faculty senate drafted recommendations to the administration on how to proceed in the planning process of the doctorate programs ?” it was agreed upon to move it for a second reading, at which time faculty will review and modify language and perhaps vote on the proposal.

The faculty proposal was established after faculty members showed uncertainty in the governance of the new program. The campus currently has a policy for doctorate programs, but it only applies when they are joint programs.

Brown said the doctorate will be an interdisciplinary program ?” “working with faculty with many departments” ?” and that not one department will be responsible for the writing of the independent doctorate.

Professor Lila Jacobs in the Educational Administration and Policy Studies Department said she was puzzled by the hasty appointment of Papa.

“I want a response in writing to the yes or no question: Is Papa the director of the independent doctorate?” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said that in a March 7 meeting, Lee said there was no director, but Brown said that Papa was the director. She also said that an October e-mail sent by Brown said that Papa was the director.

“We have been given confusing and conflicting messages from the administration as to the leadership of the independent program,” Jacobs said.

In an e-mail to The State Hornet, Cirenio Rodriguez, chair of the Educational Administration and Policy Studies Department, stated that Papa was given the title of director.

“(Papa’s appointment) was communicated to the campus community via the provost on October 6 via e-mail,” Rodriguez wrote in the e-mail to the Hornet.

Rodriguez wrote that the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department received no consultation in the decision.

Shortly after the chancellor’s office’s announcement of the new doctorate program, Rodriguez wrote that the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department ?” which he considers to be “the core department” ?” was interested in creating a faculty planning committee.

Rodriguez added that College of Education Dean Michael Lewis said they needed to move slowly. The provost, Brown, agreed, according to Rodriguez.

“However, (Brown) was moving forward, contradicting his own advise, and making the appointment/assignment of Dr. Papa,” Rodriguez wrote.

This came as a surprise to many faculty members, according to Rodriguez.

Professor Ted Lascher, chair of the Department of Public Policy and Administration who is working on the faculty proposal committee, said faculty wasn’t consulted enough before Papa’s appointment.