When Katie Johnson took a position as a university staff psychologist five years ago, job security meant little more than an annually renewable employment contract. That began to change earlier this year, when fellow staffers, college leaders, and union officials where she works — California State University-Dominguez Hills, located in Los Angeles County — reconsidered the role that psychologists play on campus. To encourage them to stay longer and to improve the way staffers are treated, the university gave her and others a shot at something contingent faculty members rarely experience: a tenure-track position. Johnson, who works in the university’s student health center as a ... Read More
CSUDH In The News
Olympic Icon Tommie Smith Visits Cal State Dominguez Hills
CARSON — Tommie Smith raced to the victory stand some 50 years ago after winning the men’s 200 meters at the 1968 Olympics. Smith and American teammate John Carlos are more known today for what they did on the medal podium than their first- and third-place finishes at the Mexico City Olympics on Oct. 16 of that year. Smith and Carlos’ human rights salute with their raised black fists, drew the rebuke and scorn of the International Olympic Committee and journalists around the world. The duo was sent home and would not be welcomed back with warmth once they reached American soil. The two men would become sports pariahs, hated by many in the country they represented. Extended unemployment ... Read More
CSUDH Receives $4.5M Grant for College-Prep Programs in Compton
California State University, Dominguez Hills has received a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase the number of low-income students in the Compton Unified School District in a program to help prepare them for college, the university announced Oct. 12. The seven-year “GEAR UP” grant from the Department of Education will enable Cal State Dominguez Hills faculty and staff to work with the Compton Unified School District to create academic development programs and activities for select underserved students starting in the 7th grade and continuing through their graduation from high school. The grant will also provide college scholarships for low-income ... Read More
New Cal State Dominguez Hills President Thomas Parham Discusses Plans to Transform Campus
Thomas A. Parham, 64, vice chancellor of student affairs at UC Irvine, was recently appointed the next president of Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson. The Southern California News Group sat down with Parham to discuss his vision and priorities for the campus. Q: You have just become president of one of the most diverse universities in the Cal State system after a 33-year career at UC Irvine where you had a reputation for tackling social justice issues such as gender equity. As an African American educator, is this pretty much the logical final step in your career and a dream job? A: I am uncompromising in my clarity about my African-centered roots and my pride culturally. In ... Read More
In the Drive for Donors, Regional Public Colleges Have a Lot of Catching Up to Do
When Janet Dial arrived at California State University at Los Angeles in 2014, the fund-raising operation she was taking over was still a work in progress. Fourteen employees staffed the university’s advancement office, with four additional positions unfilled. The university had recently paid for new database software to help it track alumni and search for potential donors, but it was still neglecting some key best practices for raising money. As a result, Cal State-LA was lagging behind some of its neighbors. Its endowment stood at about $25 million, and each year it raised about $5 million. By contrast, the University of California at Los Angeles, on the more affluent west side of town, ... Read More
