Arts and Technology Professor Wins CSU Wang Family Excellence Award

Arts and Technology Professor Kristine Diekman will receive the California State University’s Wang Family Excellence Award at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

The Wang Family Excellence Award recognizes and celebrates four outstanding CSU faculty members and one outstanding staff member who, through extraordinary commitment and dedication, have distinguished themselves by exemplary contributions and achievements. The awards for faculty are given to members of four groups of academic disciplines – Visual and Performing Arts and Letters; Natural Sciences, Mathematical and Computer Science and Engineering; Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Service; and Education and Professional Applied Sciences.

A media artist and leader of collaborative vision and social change, Diekman has more than 30 years of experience producing, directing and editing award-winning films and videos. She founded Video in the Community, engaging students, faculty and the community in completing more than 50 films and videos that serve non-profit organizations.

As a professional media artist dedicated to socially engaged films and videos, she has produced large-scale projects that serve the public. Amongst these are her current project, Run Dry, funded by the California Humanities and the CSU Water Resources and Policy Initiative grant. Run Dry is an eBook that depicts the stories of families living in the Central Valley without water and contextualizes them within themes of poverty, equity, migration and water rights.

“Kristine is an internationally known video and new media artist whose experimental videos, documentary films and new media installations are interview-based and give voice to populations and individuals whose life experiences might not otherwise be heard,” said President Karen Haynes. “Her works cover such crucial social issues as gang prevention, reproductive health and intergenerational communication. She clearly exemplifies the highest values of Cal State San Marcos and the CSU, and embodies what it means to be a faculty member committed to sustained excellence in teaching, research, student learning and community engagement.”

“This award is not just something that I have earned, but something that every student and every community member who has taken part in media projects has also earned,” added Diekman. “It is recognition of the work that we have done as a community at CSUSM, a reflection of the support that faculty and the staff have provided for so many years, and the importance of social engagement and inclusion at our university.”

The Wang Award was established in 1998 when then-CSU Trustee Stanley Wang gave $1 million to recognize remarkable contributions of faculty and administrators over 10 years. Trustee Emeritus Wang reinstated the award with a $300,000 gift to provide the $20,000 awards to each of the honorees annually for three years, beginning in 2015.