At the Teachers College, Columbia University Convocation ceremony in New York on May 14, CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham received a Medal for Distinguished Service—the highest honor bestowed by the college. As an award recipient, he also addressed graduates, families, and guests during the ceremony for the departments of Counseling & Clinical Psychology, and Human Development.
During his address, Parham implored graduates to live and work with integrity, compassion, and a willingness to be of service to others.
“You graduates will be challenged to align your consciousness with your destiny, and determine what your destinies will be,” he said. “You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘what is my destiny?’ Not, ‘what is my job?’ Not, ‘what am I getting paid for?’ But, ‘what difference do I want to make?’
“For it is in that space where you will find your own truth, and challenge yourself to see if you have the courage to both speak it and live it.”
Watch President Parham’s full remarks:
Parham joins a notable list of prior medalists which includes Coretta Scott King, Desmond Tutu, Carl Rogers, Maya Angelou, and others. Other 2024 Distinguished Service honorees include actor and philanthropist Michael J. Fox, Harvard Business School scholar Dr. Amy Edmondson, and dance educator and innovator Jody Arnhold.
“These extraordinarily worthy recipients of the College’s Medal for Distinguished Service are a tribute to the outstanding accomplishments of our 2024 graduates,” Teachers College President Thomas Bailey said.
Parham is the 11th president of CSUDH, and for the past forty-plus years, he has been an academic, clinician, consultant, administrator, and scholar whose research focuses on racial identity development. Parham has authored or co-authored six books and more than 50 journal articles and book chapters, sustaining a scholarly focus in the areas of African psychology and multicultural counseling. Parham is also a distinguished psychologist in ABPsi, a Fellow of APA and ACA, and an active member of the community, contributing his talents in the areas of social advocacy, community uplift, and youth empowerment.
“I am profoundly moved and humbled to be recognized by Teachers College, one of the most illustrious institutions of education in our nation,” Parham said. “I share this honor with my spouse Davida, my family, mentors, supporters, and colleagues, whose investments in my growth and development I hope have yielded a body of work that justifies their faith in me.”
