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Real Leadership Starts With Knowing Yourself First
Just because someone earns a promotion doesn’t mean they automatically have the skills to lead and manage others. Employees are often promoted because they excel in their roles and demonstrate strong technical expertise. Yet many...
Continue ReadingTheater as a Tool for Change: How Miriam Ragland Found Her Voice in Advocacy
Theater has always asked its audiences to see the world through someone else's eyes. For Miriam Ragland, M’25, it became a vehicle for something more: real social change. After 25 years teaching theater at Presbyterian...
Continue ReadingKate Harrington, MAP ’26 Hooding Ceremony Speech
New Master in Advocacy and Social Policy graduate Kate Harrington was selected by her classmates to speak on their behalf at the Graduate Studies Hooding Ceremony on May 8, 2026. To follow is Kate’s speech....
Continue ReadingRooted in Purpose: How Tre’Dessa Smalls Is Shaping Greenville’s Future
Tre'Dessa Smalls comes from a family of servant leaders. Raised in Burgess, South Carolina, a small town just 15 minutes outside Myrtle Beach, Tre’Dessa has never shied away from the issues others overlook: affordable housing,...
Continue ReadingRooted and Growing: Shaniece Criss
Shaniece Criss didn’t stumble into public service. It’s something she’s been growing into her entire life. As a child in Greenville, South Carolina, Shaniece’s grandmother told her she would become a public servant. From those...
Continue ReadingSierra Burns M’29 made headlines at February’s State of the Union for her advocacy of the foster care system
Furman University recently highlighted Sierra Burns M’29, a grad student pursuing her master’s degree in advocacy and social policy. On Feb. 24, Sierra was seated in the gallery in Washington, D.C., next to First Lady...
Continue ReadingA Professional Certificate That Opened the Door to Graduate School
When Julia Sellers finished her first year with AmeriCorps, she knew she wanted to keep learning and growing as a professional. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to commit to graduate school. A professional...
Continue ReadingMy Journey from Music Education to Advocacy
By Cole Summey, Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social Policy Student Why I Chose Furman Furman was one of my top choices for undergrad years ago. Growing up in Greenville, I came to campus...
Continue ReadingFind your passion with a Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social Policy Graduate Degree
The Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social Policy equips students to become effective advocates and leaders at every level, “from grassroots to grass tops,” as Shaniece Criss, director of the program, explains. The program...
Continue ReadingFormer Marine One crewman advocates for fellow veterans
Furman University recently highlighted Brandon Parks M’25, a Marine Corps veteran, a first-generation college graduate, one of four children and part of the first cohort to earn degrees in Furman University’s Advocacy and Social Policy master’s...
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