ARPE’s Lisa Gates Receives Flurry of Campus Awards

For Lisa Gates, it was a whirlwind week and a half. 

Over the span of 10 days, the director and advisor of San Diego State University’s leadership minor received not one, not two, but three campus awards. Gates was honored by Associated Students (A.S.), the Transfer Student Success Office, and the School of Communication. 

“Iʼm not always the most comfortable recipient of awards because Iʼm just so surprised by them,” said Gates. “I know that so many colleagues give of themselves in so many important ways, so to receive three awards in the length of about a week was such an honor.” 

“It leads me to consider that maybe Iʼm doing something that makes a difference,” she added with a laugh. 

It all started on April 21. She was invited to the annual Aztec Achievement Awards as a guest of A.S. president Ashley Tejada, a leadership minor graduate and current postsecondary educational leadership - student affairs master’s student. At the ceremony, Tejada surprised Gates with the A.S. Presidential Leadership Award. 

“I’ve worked very closely with Ashley through the years and she has done so many amazing things,” Gates said. “She is the first-ever graduate student A.S. president in the history of SDSU and she's done an incredible job at a very challenging time. To receive that award from her meant a whole lot.” 

Gates said she was particularly gratified to have Tejada praise her philosophy of teaching, which is to “see and validate each student and to intentionally create the conditions under which students can show up as they are and bring themselves into the center of meaning, where the drama of learning unfolds.” 

Said Tejada: “She believes in the idea that intelligence, success and value also lie in concepts like leadership, compassion, collaboration and empathy.” 

The minor — offered in collaboration between the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation and Postsecondary Education (ARPE) and the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity — aims to develop self-aware, culturally competent, transformational leaders. Three of the past four A.S. presidents have been leadership minor students. 

Gates is currently working on the creation of a leadership major within ARPE. 

Another pleasant surprise came on April 29. Gates, who serves on the advisory board for Transfer Student Success, was helping to induct students into Tau Sigma, SDSU’s honors society for transfer students. During the ceremony, Michelle Lopez, assistant dean with Faculty Advancement and Student Success, presented her with a faculty award for outstanding service to transfer students. Gates, a former transfer student herself, found deep meaning in the recognition. 

“I understand how difficult it can be to come into a large institution and not know where to go for support,” she said. “The award means a lot because I have so much respect for Michelle Lopez and the work that she and her colleagues do on behalf of transfer students at San Diego State.” 

The following day brought another meaningful moment as Gates and her husband, John Gates, jointly received the alumni of the year award from the School of Communication. The couple met as undergraduates in the school as competitors on the Speech and Debate Team and went through SDSU’s communication master’s program together (they also completed their Ph.D.s together at the University of Southern California). Lisa remains active in the school, pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as Associate Director for the Institute for Dialogue and Social Justice. 

“To be acknowledged by faculty in a program that transformed our lives, and where we have met so many incredible people who have become lifelong friends, means so much,” she said.