The key to ensuring that students are on the path to success is understanding who they are, according to California State University, Northridge art professor David Moon, who is being recognized with one of the California State University’s highest honors — the Wang Family Excellence Award.
“I am very passionate about finding out what the students are like,” said Moon, who has created a number of innovative and collaborative spaces at CSUN. “I don’t like putting all like-minded people together. What I want are kids with very diverse backgrounds. What I try to do is leverage the students’ strengths and weaknesses, and create an environment where everyone is challenged to ‘up their game,’ while at the same time building a community that ensures that everyone has a chance to succeed.”
The Wang Family Excellence Award is given each year to four CSU faculty members and one CSU administrator who, through extraordinary commitment and dedication, have distinguished themselves in their academic disciplines or university assignments. The awards, which include $20,000 to each recipient, were established in 1998 through a gift from CSU Trustee Emeritus Stanley T. Wang, and administered through the CSU Foundation. Moon will formally receive the honor on Jan. 25 during a meeting of the CSU Board of Trustees.