Rob Wassmer
Chairperson, Department of Public Policy and Administration
Director, Master’s Program in Urban Land Development
As I write this on the first day of the fall 2009 semester at Sacramento State, I find two things hard to believe. First, that is my third introduction to our Department’s annual newsletter (meaning that I have been Chair for a full two years); and second, that our economy has been in recession for nearly the same period (though not quite, the current recession officially began in December 2007).
As taught in our methods classes, correlation does not necessarily indicate causation. You cannot blame the state of the economy on me (ask my wife, my spending has not gone down) and I will only accept partial credit for the state of our Department; which in my evaluation is very good.
What is the cause of the current recession? I really have no better an explanation that what you read in the paper; remember I am not a macroeconomist. What I do know is the cause of the current robust state of the PPA Department. The strength of our Department is directly attributable to the full and part-time faculty who teach in our programs, the dedication and hard work of our administrative assistant Suzi Byrd, and the exceptional students who we have the honor of teaching and us often learning from them.
After a period of transition that involved faculty retirements, a resignation, and a move to our College’s administration ranks; our faculty lineup is as strong as ever. Joining us this year, I am pleased to introduce Dr. Su Jin Jez as our newest assistant professor. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in statistics at UC, Berkeley; and a Master’s degree in economics and doctorate in education policy from Stanford University. In addition, she has worked at WestEd as an education policy researcher and taught in the graduate public administration program at Mill’s College in Oakland. Her current primary research interest is investigating the factors that cause K-14 students to underperform in academic subjects. We will share Su Jin with the Doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.D.) Program that we coordinate with Department of Education Leadership and Policy in Sacramento State’s College of Education. She is now this Program’s Associate Director and will teach two policy-based courses for them in the fall, and teach the Political Environment of Policymaking to PPA students this spring. The addition of Professor Jez should also assist Professor Shulock in the exceptional research on community colleges she continues to produce through the Institute of Higher Education and Leadership Policy (IHELP) at Sacramento State.
Su Jin Jez joins Bill Leach as the two newest faculty in PPA. Professor Leach is now in his second year in our department. As you can read under the separate entry of faculty accomplishments, he, and all our full time faculty had a outstanding year of accomplishments. Of particular note: Professor Hodson’s continued efforts on keeping the people and elected bodies of California informed of his expertise on how best to deal with the difficult financial times that state and local governments have found themselves in; Professor Kirlin’s untiring efforts to assist Sac State in its accreditation and strategic planning efforts efforts; Professor Lascher’s continuing dedication to PPA based scholarship and teaching efforts even after being selected our College’s Associate Dean; Professor Leach’s continuing additions to a highly laudable scholarship record that now includes a NSF based study and new chapter in a book; Professor Shulock’s leadership of IHELP which continues to practice what we preach in PPA regarding the production of high quality policy analysis that is read by policymakers; and Professor Waste’s continuing volunteer efforts in making his accumulated policy and political knowledge available to Sacramento Area organizations that are making a difference in the real world.
I would be remiss in also not thanking the stellar crew of part-time professors that make up our Department. Leading this line up are David Booher and Peter Detwiler. Both are integral instructors in our offering of a Collaborative Governance Certificate and Master’s in Urban Land Development. A quick glance of the faculty accomplishment’s page demonstrates that they are both active in scholarly and community pursuits related to PPA. In addition, Bryan Borys leads the teaching component of the Judicial Fellows Program administered through our PPA Department and has provided invaluable advice and assistance in the continued success of our Judicial Administration Certificate. We also welcome Sherry Dorfman and Katherine Howard who will each teach a course in the JA Certificate Program. Both are currently consulting on court related issues, but have a long history of working in the California Court System. They offer a nice compliment to the other two part-time professors (Michael Roddy and Linda Schafer) who will continue to teach in the JA Program. I must offer a special note of thanks to Linda for taking the lead in convening a JA Retreat in late summer that resulted in a comprehensive review of the JA Program’s curriculum and pedagogy.
Furthermore, our Administrative Assistant Suzi Byrd continues to be the “glue” that holds our whole operation together. She deserves special recognition this year for going beyond the call of duty in assisting us in the Department’s continued administration of the Ed.D. Program and in making the Urban Land Development Program’s transition to PPA as smooth as it was. Be sure to give her a personal thanks when you see her.
Though the economy has been in recession over the last 20 months, the PPA Department has not. Along with the Department of Education Leadership and Policy in the College of Education, we coordinate Sacramento State’s first offering of a stand-alone doctorate program. We bring an essential policy element to this doctorate in education leadership and I am certain that Su Jin will only strengthen this contribution. As of spring 2009, we now are also the sole coordinating department for the Master of Science in Urban Land Development at Sacramento State. As part of the change, I would like to see our offerings in collaborative governance become the choice of electives for urban land development students, as collaboration between the private and public sectors in urban land development is much of the basis for this degree. Furthermore, PPA student interest in taking the collaborative governance courses taught by Professor Booher and Leach has appropriately grown. As I always tell students, the problem is not that Republicans and Democrats have no ideas on how to solve California’s budget concerns; the problem is that both groups know all too well that their ideas are the only ways to solve the problem.
I must also report that after two solid years of admitting students into our four-course certificate program in judicial administration, we are taking a year off and will not accept new applicants for a fall 2010 start. In part, the recession has caught up to us in this decision. Reductions in personal and court budgets have caused a subsequent reduction in the ability of individuals and the courts to pay even the relatively low tuition charged. I thank Donna Hoenig-Couch and Tim Hodson for all their work on this certificate program and developing a viable plan to preserve it. We are all optimistic that new students will again populate this program following the planned one-year hiatus on admitting new students.
I always recommend that you look at the alumni and current student page of this newsletter to get an update on what many of you have been doing. Your accomplishments are quite impressive and given the chance, something we are very proud to brag about. A special recognition to Lindsay Keyes who received the 2008-09 Cristy Jensen Distinguished Graduate Award. This is third time the award has been granted and Lindsay, based upon her PPA grades, thesis, and leadership is a deserving honoree.
Finally, two requests. First, in the fall of 2009 we will make a concerted effort to put in place a new slate of officers for the PPA Alumni Association. This includes a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. If any PPA alumni are interested in serving, please do not hesitate to contact me ASAP. Second, this is the 20th year of the Sacramento State PPA Program and an evening of celebration is in the works for late November. I will post the exact date on the list serves when it is nailed down. In the mean time, please contact me if interested in serving on the planning committee for this event.
Here’s to the hope that there is no need to mention the words recession or budget crisis in next year’s newsletter. Cheers.
