Tong appointed to Douglas J. Palmer Endowed Chair

Dr. Fuhui Tong, head of the Department of Educational Psychology, has been appointed to the Douglas J. Palmer Endowed Chair in Educational Psychology.

“It is my great honor to be appointed as the Douglas J. Palmer Endowed Chair,” Tong said. “I will follow Dr. Palmer’s legacy and be a good steward of the funds to invest in academic excellence in the Department of Educational Psychology.”

The Palmer chair was established through gifts from the Ed Rachal Foundation, as well as many of Dr. Palmer’s friends and colleagues. It was named for Dr. Doug Palmer, the fifth dean of the College of Education and Human Development to recognize the more than 35 years that Palmer served the college.

The endowed chair supports a faculty member who works with students that are preparing to become special education or bilingual education teachers, or those preparing for careers in psychology. The chair holder also engages in cutting-edge research that examines educational achievement, social support and mental health issues across the human lifespan.

About Tong

Tong joined the Department of Educational Psychology faculty in 2007. She became head of the Department of Educational Psychology in June 2021, following a year as interim head. She developed and teaches three graduate courses in bilingual assessment and program evaluation in education.

Her research focuses on applications of quantitative research methodologies to investigate causal effects of instructional interventions on the academic achievement of diverse students, including English learners and bilingual education in international context.

She has published over 70 refereed journal articles and garnered over $40 million in external research funding from the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation and Texas Education Agency.