Superior Leadership

Diana Guerin Honored with Faculty Leadership Award

May 26, 2009

Diana W. Guerin, a veteran Cal State Fullerton professor and alumna who has served in a wide range of positions throughout her career on campus, has been named this year's recipient of the Faculty Leadership in Collegial Governance Award.

The annual award was presented May 21 by President Milton A. Gordon before a large audience of Guerin’s peers of the Academic Senate, of which the professor of child and adolescent studies has served since 2000.

Gordon noted that Guerin has a record of leadership all levels of the collegial governance — from department, college, university to the California State University system, statewide, within her profession and in the larger community of scholars.

“Diana, you not only practice collegial governance, you teach about it, write about it and model what collaborative collegial governance should be day in and day out,” said Gordon.

In addition to serving on the senate, Guerin served two terms as the organization’s chair and secretary, as well as editor of its publication, Senate Forum. She has been a member of the statewide CSU Academic Senate since 2004 and was recently elected to the Senate’s executive committee.

“Since 1999, you have advocated in various venues to increase the recruitment and retention of tenured/tenure-track faculty,” said Gordon, explaining Guerin’s collaboration with the campus senate, statewide senate and the California Faculty Association in the effort. Gordon also noted that Guerin worked to complete several key initiatives during her tenure, including a review of all University Policy Statements begun by a previous chair.

“You were instrumental in facilitating a fair and organized process for review of the issues at the Academic Senate Level. Your desire to have all opinions heard and to ensure that decisions were made based on accurate data or accurate information, rather than anecdotal or emotion stands out as one of your many contributions to collegial governance.”

Guerin (M.A. psychology ’80) currently serves on the university’s steering committee for reaccreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The committee oversees the university’s efforts in preparing for review by the national association.

“I consider it an honor and a privilege to be a faculty member at Cal State Fullerton, and I particularly thank my colleagues in the room for their mentoring, support and friendship,” the honoree said when presented flowers and a plaque. “Our commitment to collegial governance at Cal State Fullerton is well known across the CSU, and I truly believe it has served our University well.

“Participating in service at the university level has given me a clearer understanding of the complexities involved in operating a large university, but more importantly a greater appreciation of the contributions that our students, staff, faculty and administration make to our community and beyond,” Guerin added.

"Clearly, we are going to face some challenges in the next few years, and it will be more important than ever for us to pull together and find the best way forward for our university.”

A member of the faculty since 1988, Guerin has served as chair of the Child and Adolescent Studies Department and department academic adviser. She has been a member on the university’s Instructional Technology, Professional Leaves and Faculty Personnel committees and in 2000, served as an external reviewer to Cal State Bakersfield and Chico State's Child Development Programs.

Guerin serves as co-director of the Fullerton Longitudinal Study a long-term investigation charting the development of more than 100 children and their families from the child's first birthday through their current age of 29. Guerin first became involved with the internationally recognized and widely cited study as a graduate student.

In addition, Guerin has co-authored more than two dozen articles, book chapters and books; presented more than 70 research papers or posters, has served as president of the Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children and was a member of the state association’s board of directors.

The Fullerton resident’s research interests include children’s temperament, intellectual giftedness and child safety. In addition to her master’s degree from Cal State Fullerton, Guerin also holds a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from UCLA.

Faculty Leadership in Collegial Governance Award

The leadership award recognizes faculty members who have made significant contributions to collegial governance and the mission of the California State University. The award was instituted in 1998-99 and the inaugural recipient was Harvey Grody, emeritus professor of political science.

Other recipients are:

2007-08 Albert Flores professor of philosophy

2006-07 John W. (Jack) Bedell, professor of sociology and chair of the Anthropology Department

2005-06 Lee Gilbert, emeritus professor of modern languages and literatures

2004-05 Jane V. Hall, professor of economics

2003-04 Sandra Sutphen, emerita professor of political science

2002-03 John A. Olmsted, emeritus professor of chemistry and biochemistry

2001-02 Barry Pasternack, chair and professor of information systems and decision sciences

2000-01 Joan V. Greenwood, emerita professor of English and Comparative Literature

1999-00 J. Vincent Buck, emeritus professor of political science