Four San Diego State University administrators have been named recipients of the Arts Schools Network Higher Education Award for the university's collaborative approach to preparing arts teachers, SDSU announced Thursday. The honor will be presented in October at the national nonprofit's 2026 conference in San Diego.
The experience of San Diego State University and Arts Education unfolds at walking pace: whether a place feels welcoming, whether a program is affordable, whose work is visible and whether the benefit lasts after opening day. Attendance is one measure; access, neighborhood participation and long-term stewardship are others.
The recipients are College of Education Dean Y. Barry Chung, College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts Dean Janice McKay, College of Education Senior Associate Dean Sarah Garrity and School of Teacher Education Director Lynne Bercaw. Their colleges have jointly developed teaching-credential pathways in theater, dance, music and fine art so students can move from arts degree programs into teacher preparation.
SDSU said the model pairs that academic coordination with coaching, mentorship and shared expectations developed alongside San Diego Unified and the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. The university expanded its arts-education pathways as Proposition 28 funding increased California schools' demand for arts teachers.
The neighborhood-level stakes around San Diego State University and Arts Education are practical: who can reach the service or place, who benefits first, who experiences disruption and how residents can respond when implementation falls short. Those details often determine whether a citywide promise feels real on a particular block.
At neighborhood scale, San Diego State University and Arts Education are experienced less as policy language than as time, distance and uncertainty: a longer trip, another form, a waiting list or a service that closes before a shift ends. Those practical barriers belong in the measure of success.
Follow-up on San Diego State University and Arts Education should compare the announced scope with what residents encounter after opening or implementation. Schedule changes, usage, maintenance and documented community concerns will show whether the benefit reaches its intended audience.