Art=Opportunity founder and Cal State San Marcos music professor
San Marcos CA— California State University San Marcos Music and Arts Integration professor Merryl Goldberg has been recognized with the prestigious 2018 Wang Family Excellence Award in the category of Outstanding Faculty Teaching. The California State University’s Board of Trustees will honor Goldberg at its Jan. 30 meeting in Long Beach.
The annual Wang Family Excellence Award recognizes four outstanding faculty members and one outstanding staff member from the CSU system who, through extraordinary commitment and dedication, have distinguished themselves by exemplary contributions and achievements. Their activities advance the CSU’s mission and enhance excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. As part of their recognition, honorees each receive a $20,000 award that is established through a gift from CSU Trustee Emeritus Stanley T. Wang and administered through the CSU Foundation.
Goldberg has demonstrated sustained excellence in her teaching at CSUSM, where she focuses on the role that arts play in academic success, career development and empathy.
Goldberg gained international recognition for founding the University’s Center ARTES, which offers innovative programs for teaching art to young students. Goldberg also is working on public awareness as part of ART=OPPORTUNITY, a research-based initiative backed by a $200,000 grant from the Stuart Foundation and a $25,000 grant from the Panta Rhea Foundation. ART=OPPORTUNITY focuses on improving K-12 arts literacy and advocates that every child, every day needs to have real opportunities to learn in, and through, the arts.
A professional saxophonist and recording artist, Goldberg toured internationally for 13 years with the Klezmer Conservatory Band. She received her undergraduate degree from New England Conservatory of Music and her Doctorate in Teaching, Curriculum and Learning Environments from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
CSUSM is the only university to have a Wang Family Excellence Award faculty recipient each of the last three years. Psychology professor Keith Trujillo was recognized in 2017 in the category of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Service and Arts, and Technology professor Kristine Diekman was recognized in 2016 in the category of Visual and Performing Arts and Letters.
For more information on the Wang Family Excellence Award and the 2018 awardees, visit https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/faculty-staff/wang-award/pages/default.aspx
About California State University San Marcos
Building on an innovative 28-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange Counties.
The University enrolls nearly 17,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.