Interview with CSU Dominquez Hills President Thomas A. Parham

As a licensed psychologist with more than 40 years of experience as an academician, scholar clinician, and administrator, Dr. Thomas A. Parham is well known for his work in African psychology and multicultural counseling. After serving faculty and students at the University of California, Irvine campus for over 30 years, President Parham took the presidency position at California State University, Dominguez Hills. His previous roles as vice chancellor for student affairs, adjunct faculty member, assistant vice chancellor for counseling and health services, Counseling Center director, and director of the Career and Life Planning Center, and an Ivy League professor before that at U Penn, have given President Parham a plethora of knowledge and skills.

President Parham’s goal was, and continues to be, producing excellence across multiple domains. He feels this not only prepared him for the rigors of the presidency, but also of life. He feels like the Cal State University system is a perfect fit for him. As one of the most diverse and inclusive systems of higher education in the nation, President Parham is happy that CSU makes education a right for many, rather than a privilege for the few. With a tremendous, dedicated staff, it feels more like a calling than just a job or a title. As someone that’s motivated by ideas, President Parham says staying engaged, inspired, and committed to the mission is easy for him.

What You’ll Learn:

• How President Parham prepared for the presidency role.
• What President Parham’s mentor told him regarding the key to mental health was.
• What President Parham’s term ’T-squared’ means.
• How CSU ranks in terms of diversity and inclusion.

Favorite Quotes:

“ Life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony”

“You will never find out how strong you can be until your moment of greatest vulnerability.” -Dr. Thomas A. Parham