New College of Education Dean has National Track Record
Y. Barry Chung comes to SDSU with strong leadership experience and advocacy research credentials.
Y. Barry Chung will join San Diego State University as dean of the College of Education on June 29. Chung comes to SDSU from Indiana University Bloomington, where he is associate dean for graduate studies in the School of Education.“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Chung to SDSU. His impressive research and leadership credentials will drive the College of Education to even greater heights of excellence.”
With a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chung served on the faculty at Georgia State University and Northeastern University before moving to Indiana.
For more than a decade, Chung has been active in professional organizations, rising to leadership positions in many of them.
He was elected in 2007 as a fellow of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 17, the Society of Counseling Psychology. He is also a fellow of three additional APA divisions; a member of the organization’s policy-making Council of Representatives; and a member of the APA’s Finance Committee, which manages a $126 million annual budget.
In 2014, Chung received an APA presidential citation for his scholarship in career development; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues; multicultural counseling and for his exemplary leadership and service. That recognition was followed three years later by the Shining Star Award given at the APA’s National Multicultural Conference and Summit.
He has also served as president of the National Career Development Association and is a fellow of the Asian American Psychological Association.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Chung to SDSU. His impressive research and leadership credentials will drive the College of Education to even greater heights of excellence,” said Chukuka S. Enwemeka, provost and senior vice president.
Advocacy work
Chung was born in Hong Kong and completed his undergraduate degree in Taiwan. He described his early days as a graduate student in the United States as a time of personal re-evaluation.“My identity shifted dramatically,” Chung said. “It shifted from being in the majority [in Hong Kong] to the minority. Suddenly, I was an immigrant and person of color, and then I came out as a gay man.”
These identity shifts exposed Chung to cultural and social justice issues and discrimination. He became involved in advocacy work, quickly translating his experiences into scholarship and leadership opportunities. Early in his career, Chung published several peer-reviewed journal articles and presented at conferences on topics such as factors affecting the educational aspirations of black males and the career interests and aspirations of gay men.
Chung expressed excitement about joining SDSU to lead the College of Education, which rose to the rank of No. 54 in the country and No. 40 among public universities in the most recent U.S. News and World Report’s graduate rankings for 2019.
“It’s exciting to see that ranking continue to rise,” he said. “I’m honored to be joining a team of this caliber and a community that is caring and collaborative. The most important part of our jobs is to make a positive impact both locally and nationally.”
