It’s time for another school year to begin. This is the time of year when we bring in a new group of Master’s students. Our very first activity is ABA Orientation, and I absolutely love this. We are fortunate to have with Dr. Al Murphy who has been with our program for more than a decade.
Dr. Al Murphy, FSU PC Faculty
We also welcome our newest faculty member, Amy Polick, who will soon receive her doctorate from Auburn. Dr. Ellen Berler joined us via ITV from Tallahassee, she provides substantial support to our program as the Associate Chair in the Department of Psychology.
Orientation is our chance to meet our new grad students and make a good impression. We outline our blueprint for the next two years. This year, we had nearly 70 applicants and from those, we have chosen 15 students who made it through our rigorous selection process to join us. This year’s first year students are a very diverse group. They came to us from all over the country from states including New York, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada and California.
Many found out about our program from former students. This is truly a compliment to our model of training and the quality of our faculty and our practicum supervisors. One said,
“I chose to attend Florida State because of the focus on implementing Applied Behavior Analysis in the real world and the extensive ABA community found in Florida.”
I think she pegged us exactly right. Between Tallahassee and Panama City alone we have a number of employment and practicum sites to match everyone’s interests in behavior analysis.
ABA Reception
This year’s class is well rounded too; we have basketball and football fans, scrapbookers, tennis players, surfers, several dancers and a few dog owners. One student can juggle, another is a fencer, and we have two sketch artists as well. With this great mix of talented and highly motivated students, we expect to have a very exciting year.
We were fortunate to have Dr. Ken Shaw, FSU PC Dean join us for a Welcome reception following Orientation. He and his staff have provided us exceptional support for the past 11 years.