CSUSM Receives Stuart Foundation Grant to Improve Literacy Through the Arts
Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Stuart Foundation, California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) will soon launch a San Diego county-wide campaign focused on providing access to all children to a better education by improving literacy through the arts; including technical assistance to implement arts plans, professional development, and mentoring.
The program, called ART=OPPORTUNITY, will include a series of summits, special events and training. It will be implemented by Merryl Goldberg, Executive Director, Center ARTES and a leadership team of arts educators, professionals and area nonprofits. Goldberg is a Professor of Music at California State University San Marcos and Director of Center ARTES, a university center dedicated to restoring arts to education. She is the author of Arts Integration: Teaching Subject Matter Through the Arts in Multicultural Settings 5th edition (2017) as well as other books, articles, chapters, editorials, and blogs. She has been the Principal Investigator of numerous grants including Federal Department of Education Arts in Education Program grants, a joint Spencer and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur grant, Fulbright-Hays Foundation grants, National Endowment for the Arts grant, and California Arts Council grants. Her undergraduate degree is from New England Conservatory of Music, and her doctorate is from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Goldberg lives in Carlsbad.
“We will have a specific focus on Leadership, Literacy and Sustainability,” explained Goldberg. “Our highest goal is to ensure that every child has the opportunity for an exemplary education that includes learning in, with and through the arts.”
“The Stuart Foundation pursues a Whole Child strategy rooted in the belief that a child’s relationships – with educators, parents, families, and communities – are essential to their educational success,” states Jonathan Raymond, President of the Stuart Foundation. “We are committed to education that excites students and teachers alike, because both must be engaged for real learning to take place.”
In an effort to create a county-wide shared vision of the role the arts play in student development implement strategies, plan activities and track results, Goldberg is partnering with multiple leadership partners including the San Diego County Office of Education, the Center for Leadership Innovation and Mentorship Building (CLIMB) in the College of Business Administration at CSUSM, San Marcos Writing Project at CSUSM, School of Arts at CSUSM, North County Professional Development Federation, San Diego Arts Network, San Diego Unified School District’s Learning Through the Arts program, Chula Vista Elementary School District VAPA, Arts for Learning San Diego, La Jolla Playhouse, The New Children’s Museum, A Reason to Survive (ARTS), California Center for the Arts, Escondido and more.
The first Summit is scheduled for early 2017. If you are interested in getting involved, please email artopp@csusm.edu or visit Center ARTES Website for more information: https://www.csusm.edu/centerartes
Building on an innovative 25-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 over 14,000 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.
About the Stuart Foundation
The Stuart Foundation is dedicated to improving life outcomes for young people through education. We work to ensure that public education systems in California and Washington provide opportunities for students to learn, achieve and thrive.
Our guiding principle, or North Star, is an education system that values the Whole Child by strengthening the relationships between students, educators, families and communities. As a result, students will have greater opportunities to be self-reliant, succeed in education and careers, and engage meaningfully in their communities.