EP114: Fundamental Lessons for Black Faculty and Student Success with Dr. Thomas A. Parham

In The Margins

Dr. Thomas A. Parham, president of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), shares what he believes are the fundamental ingredients for success for Black faculty and students in the 114th episode of In The Margins.

In this episode, Diverse host David Pluviose welcomes Parham, who speaks to his own journey to university president and the implicit bias he has encountered in higher education.

Be sure not to miss this conversation on what Parham calls the stones of stagnation and rocks of resignation that keep higher education from being the diverse, inclusive, and socially minded institutions they say they want to be, and hear how he plans to close the gap between the aspirational and the actual.

KEY POINTS:

- Parham’s journey to CSU, Dominguez Hills

- Fundamental lessons for Black faculty success

- The importance of defining and re-framing the narrative

- Mental health when it comes to Black students

- The impact of the pandemic on diverse students

- Current and future initiatives to promote Black excellence at CSUDH

QUOTABLES:

“Never seek validation from your oppressor. So, the problem was never that people have a negative opinion about Black folk or women or LGBT, or whatever it is. The problem is you give a darn about what they think in the first place.”

“Recognize that this individual, who I consider to be a seed of divinely inspired possibility, if we can nurture that individual in its proper context, they'll grow into the fullest expression of all they're supposed to become. So, our campuses, my campus, is a soil.”

“Crisis does three things. It reveals character. It exposes weakness. But it also creates opportunity.”

GUEST RESOURCES:

Dr. Thomas A. Parham: President's Bio (csudh.edu)

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In The Margins is produced by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and edited by Instapodcasts (visit at instapodcasts.com)