Source: Office Hours with John Gardner (Podcast) Thomas A. Parham, Ph.D., is a family man who resides in the Southern California area with his wife, Davida. Dr. Parham is the 11th president of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), a highly diverse, metropolitan university primarily serving the South Central and South Bay areas of Los Angeles County. Established in 1960, CSUDH is one of the 23 campuses that comprise the California State University system, the largest system of public higher education in the nation. Dr. Parham previously served as vice chancellor of student affairs and an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, where he had been ... Read More
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Higher Ed Dive: President Speaks
Source: Higher Ed Dive President Speaks: Higher education shouldn't perpetuate privilege. It should lift up those who would benefit the most. Colleges have a moral imperative to help students up the economic ladder, not just promote their rankings, argues the president of CSU Dominguez Hills. On many college and university campuses across the nation, the release of new collegiate rankings is a celebrated occasion. Prestigious universities often tout their low admission rates, selectivity ratios, and the high average GPAs and standardized test scores of their incoming classes as a measure of their institution's strength. Those rankings reflect an outcome that higher ... Read More
Fall Convocation Highlights Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham and others laid out their thoughts on the state of CSUDH and their goals and hopes for the future of the university, as they welcomed the Toro community to a new academic year at the 2022 Fall Convocation on Sept. 22. Provost Michael Spagna began the event with a short address, touching on the ways in which the past three years have transformed the university–despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted the work that had been completed recently, from new campus construction to the university's new strategic plan. “We have reconfigured and revitalized our advising and student support models, using an integrated model to ensure that we ... Read More
Bobbie Porter Named Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Bobbie Porter, a career diversity and inclusion practitioner with over a decade of experience, has been named California State University, Dominguez Hills' (CSUDH) first vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. She will begin her new role on July 1. “CSUDH has an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our engagement with this critical work demands an additional leader with the intellect, passion, and vision for diversity growth. As such, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Bobbie Porter to our senior executive administration team,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “The position of chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer requires ... Read More
Ilia Calderón Inspires at Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series
Speaking between news broadcasts from Miami on March 17, Univision anchor Ilia Calderón shared her life story, reflections on overcoming barriers, and words of wisdom with the CSUDH community. Calderón was the featured speaker for the Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series, a program which invites prominent public figures to discuss their experiences within the context of society's most pressing issues. The spring lecture, in celebration of Women's History Month, focused on women in media and film–specifically, women of color–and why having diverse voices in these spaces is important in the struggle to overcome racism and sexism. For the first half of the event, CSUDH President Thomas ... Read More