Meeting of the Board of Regents | May 2008

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

TO:
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
SUBJECT:	Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus:  Master plan amendment authorizing the University to offer its first doctoral degree program in the discipline of Education.
DATE:	April 30, 2008
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 2 and 4
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision (Consent Agenda)

 

Should the Board of Regents approve a master plan amendment authorizing the Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus to offer its first doctoral degree program in the discipline of Education?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

              Required by State regulation.

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the Higher Education Committee at its May 2008 meeting where it will be voted on and action taken.  It will then come before the full Board at its May 2008 meeting for final action.

 

Procedural History

 

Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus submitted a proposal for this program in December 2005.  The University had a peer review team conduct a site visit to assess the program.  The Department has determined that the program, if approved, would meet registration standards.  In February 2008, the Department conducted a statewide canvass of all doctoral degree-granting institutions and institutions in the Long Island region. There were two responses to the canvass. Both responses were positive.

 

Background Information

 

The faculty of the School of Education at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University proposes to offer an innovative Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Interdisciplinary Educational Studies.  The proposed program will be distinguished by its broad approach and by its focus on the study of theory, practice, and issues affecting the PreK -16 continuum.  The program’s vision and curriculum will be informed by the highly successful, interdisciplinary approach to school reform which is practiced in several hundred school districts throughout the United States.

 

The coursework phase of the program will include a substantial required 24-credit core, designed to ground students in broad perspectives, critical thinking, and multi-method, empirical research approaches (including both qualitative and quantitative components).  Students will also complete 18 credits of additional classroom study selected from one of two areas of concentration: “Teaching and Learning” or “Educational Leadership.” In addition, students will complete nine credits of doctoral dissertation preparation. As a culminating experience, students will design and conduct a significant interdisciplinary research project under the direction of doctoral program faculty, and will write a doctoral dissertation on a specific research question drawn from one or more of the program’s organizing issues.

 

Students who successfully complete this doctoral curriculum will be prepared to think across paradigms, applying multi-method and interdisciplinary research perspectives in seeking answers to critical questions in education.  Such advanced training will provide an excellent foundation for careers in teaching and research, curriculum development, and educational leadership.

 

Long Island University has the human, financial, technical, physical plant facilities, learning resources and other resources necessary to achieve its mission and goals, including the provision for doctoral education.

 

Long Island University libraries are data-linked through a telecommunications network.  Each campus site has compatible computer terminals, communications equipment, and multiplexed data lines linked into the computer database at the C.W. Post Campus.  Through this linked network, LIU patrons are able to gain online bibliographic access to the University’s collections (LIUCAT).  With the library network linkage, the library services provided are convenient, efficient, and comprehensive.

 

The projected faculty for the proposed program is as follows: 7 existing full-time faculty members and 4 new faculty in the first year; 17 existing full-time faculty members in the second year; and 23 existing full-time faculty members for the third, fourth, and fifth years. Thirty-six faculty members have had articles published in refereed journals in the past five years.  In addition, the School of Education is committed to filling lines within various departments with professors who have strong backgrounds in research design and experience with doctoral level students.  

The projected full-time enrollment in the proposed program is as follows: 30 students in the first year; 56 in the second year; 79 in the third, fourth, and fifth years. The projected part-time enrollment in the proposed program is as follows:  no students in the first, second, and third years; 23 in the fourth year; and 35 in fifth year. The total number of students in the proposed program is as follows: 30 students in the first year; 56 students in the second year; 79 students in the third year; 102 students in the fourth year; and 114 students in the fifth year.

 

Results from the mailed surveys and focus group discussions indicate that most applicants will initially come from the field of education (i.e., superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals/assistant principals, chairpersons/coordinators, secondary school teachers, middle school teachers, elementary school teachers, and school counselors). As the doctoral program becomes better known, however, an increasing number of students are expected from allied professions.

 

Based on the results of a market survey, the respondents (potential students) demonstrated varied interests in such areas of doctoral study as: teaching/learning, educational leadership and administration, educational technology, school counseling, special education, speech/language, reading/language, and early childhood administration. The doctoral program can accommodate these interests through core courses, concentration courses, electives, goal-driven portfolios, individual and group projects, and dissertation research.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the national employment outlook for educational administrators is excellent.  A large proportion of current educational administrators are expected to retire over the next 10 years.  Although enrollment of students in elementary and secondary schools is expected to grow slowly over the next decade, the number of administrative positions will continue to increase as more administrative responsibilities are placed on individual schools, particularly related to monitoring student achievement. Preschool and childcare center administrators are expected to experience substantial growth due to increasing enrollments in formal childcare programs. 

 

The New York State Department of Labor projects the prospects for hiring in educational administration and leadership positions as “very favorable” through 2014 in the Long Island area. The median annual wage for administrators at the elementary and secondary level statewide is $97,920.  The median annual wage for educational administrators at the postsecondary level is $89,700, while the median annual wage for administrators at the pre-school and childcare level is $53,360.

 

Recommendation

 

              It is recommended that the Board of Regents approve an amendment to the master plan of Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus authorizing the University to offer the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree program in Interdisciplinary Educational Studies.  This amendment will be effective until April 15, 2009, unless the program is registered by the Department prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.

Timetable for Implementation

 

If the Board of Regents approves the degree authorization and the master plan amendment, the Department will register the program and the University will proceed to recruit and enroll program students.