James E. Richmond, PhD
College of Communication and Education
Department of Professional Studies In Education
1969–2009
James Richmond has represented Chico State for more than half a century. A double alum (BA, Education, ’62; MA, Reading, ’68) who holds a doctorate in language and literacy from UC Berkeley, Richmond served as a professor in the College of Education from 1969 to 2009. He taught graduate courses in educational research and reading instruction, and influenced hundreds of budding teachers.
Richmond served in numerous leadership positions during his tenure, including chair of the Department of Education and the Department of Professional Studies in Education and associate dean of the College of Education. He also served as chair of the Executive Management Evaluation and Development Committee, a group charged with conducting campus executive reviews and searches; and he served as statewide president of the California University Faculty Association, a precursor to the California Faculty Association.
Among his greatest accomplishments was directing the campus reading center, which paired graduate students with local children in need of extra support in reading at no cost to their families. He also served as principal investigator for the Northern California Literacy Project, which supported teachers in the North State through summer workshops and other methods to build literacy in the public schools.
Two programs in his department, the Tri-Placement Credential Program and the Concurrent/Education Specialist Program, received the California Council on Teacher Education’s Award of the Year for high quality teacher preparation in 2002 and 2004, respectively.
Off campus, Richmond led accreditation teams for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing site visits and participated in state-level committees to develop educational policy.
In retirement, Richmond continues serving the University as president of the Emeritus and Retired Faculty and Staff Association, a position he has held since 2013.
