Three SEDT Professors Tabbed As Endowed Teaching Chairs

North Campus’ School of Entertainment & Design Technology professors Elio Arteaga, Eric Cornish and Adrian Garcia were named 2024 Endowed Teaching Chairs.

The award, which was presented to ten educators at a ceremony at Wolfson Campus on Dec. 12, is the most prestigious award a professor can receive at Miami Dade College. Since 1992, faculty members have been selected based on their success and teaching capabilities. 

Winners receive an annual stipend of $7,500 for three years, which is funded by the MDC Foundation.

“Usually one professor from the department wins at a time. This is the first time that the Endowed Chair honorees are three professors from the same department,” said Barry Gordon, chairperson of SEDT. 

Elio Arteaga

Arteaga, an associate professor of graphic design and web design, grew up drawing cartoon characters like Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone. 

The MDC alumni discovered his love for sharing knowledge with others as a student assistant at North Campus in 1989 before becoming an instructional assistant for 22 years. He returned to the College in 2015 as an assistant professor.

“Part of the fun of being a teacher is to expose students to new things and steer them in the right direction,” said Arteaga, who incorporates artificial intelligence and gamification into his lectures. 

The 59-year-old was awarded the Miami Dade College Alumni Association Endowed Teaching Chair. He plans to use the stipend to purchase farmland in northern Florida.

Arteaga received an associate’s degree in commercial art and advertising design from MDC in 1987. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Florida International University in 1996 and a master’s degree in graphic design from Florida Atlantic University in 2003. 

Eric Cornish

Cornish is a senior associate professor of graphic design and animation, who found his passion for design through drawing as a kid. 

The 48-year-old has worked at MDC since 2007, beginning as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate senior professor in 2017. 

Cornish is the founder of D3, an annual art and design expo that gives students an insight into the industry. In 2024, he led a study abroad trip to South Korea that exposed students to the country’s pop culture and art history. He is also one of the advisors of AXIS, the creative arts magazine at North Campus that won a national Pacemaker award in 2024. 

“It’s all about practice, the effort and the amount of time you can put in, and you can do anything. That’s what I try to tell the students,” Cornish said.

He was awarded the Gerrits Construction Company Endowed Teaching Chair. He plans to use his stipend to travel and bring back insight from around the world to his classroom through design. 

Cornish received a bachelor’s degree in computer animation from International Fine Arts College in 1996, as well as a master’s degree in computer animation from Miami International University in 2001. He obtained his doctorate of philosophy in educational leadership from the University of the Cumberlands in 2022.

Adrian Garcia

Garcia has been an associate film professor at the College since 2015. 

“[My parents] certainly inculcated in me a love and passion for films,” said Garcia, who grew up discussing classics such as Jaws and The Godfather with his father. 

The 41-year-old is a founder of the “Telemundo Academy,” a course that allows students to get hands-on experience with Telemundo executives and scholarships opportunities. 

Last spring, he taught a study abroad program in Prague. He also teaches film production classes at Everglades Correctional Institute, where incarcerated students get the opportunity to write, act, direct and make films. 

 “We’re here to change lives, make it easier for people to get jobs in the industry, and make it easier for people to reintegrate into society,” Garcia said. “I want people always thinking back to, ‘This is what I accomplished at Miami Dade and this is how Miami Dade changed my life forever.’”

Adrian was awarded the Daniel K. Gill Endowed Teaching Chair. He plans to use his stipend to travel and build partnerships with film schools abroad to offer more study abroad programs. 

Garcia received a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2005 and a master’s degree in Motion Picture Production in 2007 from the University of Miami.

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