California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) President and eminent psychologist Dr. Thomas A. Parham will receive a Medal for Distinguished Service—the highest honor bestowed by Teachers College, Columbia University on May 14.
Parham will receive the honor in New York and address graduates, families, and guests during the College’s Convocation ceremony for the departments of Counseling & Clinical Psychology, and Human Development. He joins a notable list of prior medalists which includes Coretta Scott King, Desmond Tutu, Carl Rogers, Maya Angelou, and others.
“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.
“It is also a privilege to address the graduating students of Teachers College. As a psychologist, healer, and now university chief executive, I am reminded daily of the impact each and every one of us can make in shaping our world. I hope to reaffirm graduates’ belief in the transformative power of education, their own limitless potential, and the importance of using their voice as an instrument of change.”
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.
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.
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