Doctoral Program

On Friday, May 5, 2023, the FSU College of Social Work celebrated spring graduates and its annual Award Recipients at a celebration in the social work lobby of University Center, Building C.

Spring graduates included 41 BSW graduates, 145 MSW graduates and two doctoral graduates, Chris Collins and Melissa Murphy.

At the event, awards were presented to exemplary students, faculty and field educators nominated internally for their efforts and dedication at the College of Social Work.

A recent study led by Beren Crim Sabuncu, an FSU College of Social Work doctoral student explored how spiritual and social support can be related to the long-term impacts of trauma. One source of trauma on the rise is natural disasters, Crim noted.

Crim, PhD candidate Wenyi Li, and FSU Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Amy L. Ai were particularly interested in the relationships between these protective factors and hurricane-related trauma for volunteers responding after a storm.

Florida State University has chosen alumna Lisa Magruder as the next leader of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare.  

Magruder, the institute’s associate director of research since 2020, takes over the director’s role from fellow FSU graduate Jessica Pryce. Pryce, who served as director for six years, will lead the institute’s Alliance for Workforce Enhancement initiative.  

Chris Collins, a doctoral candidate with the FSU College of Social Work, will join the faculty of Salem State University starting the fall semester of 2023. As an assistant professor within the Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services School of Social Work, Chris will primarily focus on teaching macro social work courses focused on areas like policy, social work practice with organizations, forensic social work and research methods.

Developed in the early 2000s, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) was developed as a distinct therapeutic technique for the treatment of traumatic stress. The technique is based on the principles of testimony therapy, according to the American Journal of Psychotherapy, and invites people to tell their stories or experiences, including traumatic events, in which the specific political context of the traumatic events is emphasized.

Dr. Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett, a recent FSU College of Social Work graduate joins the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Social Work as an assistant professor.  Taylor’s dissertation focused on children and families involved in the foster care system, titled  “Latent Profiles of Foster Parents and their Association with Intent to Disrupt Placement and Turnover,” working with her major professor Dr. Shamra Boel-Studt.

A recent study from Florida State University examined how the cumulative experience of violence can impact virally stable people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

The College of Social Work is eager to welcome all of our students including our latest cohort of doctoral students. Each comes to Florida State University with experiences and a dedication to social work research and scholarship that will benefit the profession and the populations it serves.

On Friday, April 29th the College of Social Work celebrated the graduation of 196 graduates including 57 BSWs, 137 MSWs and doctoral graduates Jessica Bagneris and Aidan Ferguson. The drop-in event was held in the College of Social Work lobby and classrooms featuring refreshments, commemorative items and photo opportunities for graduates and their guests along with faculty and staff.

Ohio State University (OSU) has appointed Dr. David A. Jenkins (PhD, 1992) as the dean of the College of Social Work. Jenkins’ appointment is effective July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2027.