It is my great pleasure to introduce myself to the K-State MFT community. For the past 13 years I have been a member of the MFT faculty at Oklahoma State University, serving as their program director for the past nine years. Although it was difficult to leave because I treasured the relationships I developed with faculty, staff and students at OSU, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of such a stellar program at K-State and look forward to all of the opportunities ahead.
Prior to OSU, I received my B.S. in family science, M.S. in MFT from Brigham Young University and Ph.D. in MFT from Texas Tech University. My wife, Becky, and I have six children: Josh, 18, who is starting his freshman year at Utah State University this fall; Andrew,16; Aubrey, 13; Emily, 10; Maci, 7; and Alyssa, 5.
Sandra Stith is a University Distinguished Professor and a Vera Mowrey McAninch Endowed Professor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services. She earned her Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from K-State and was a professor in the MFT program at Virginia Tech’s Falls Church campus for 20 years before coming to K-State in 2007. Her primary research interest is in understanding and treating intimate partner violence, or IPV. Dr. Stith recently stepped down from her roles as a professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy program and we had the chance to ask her a few questions.
After a battle with cancer, Rusty Andrews died on May 9, 2016, at age 61.
Dr. Christi McGeorge, professor in the couple and family therapy doctoral program at North Dakota State University, will present the third annual Tony Jurich Lecture on Social Justice at 2 p.m., Thursday, September 22.
Relevate is a new word around the K-State MFT program, in fact it’s a word starting to emerge at research conferences, in classrooms and on social media. Relevate is a verb that means to elevate your relationship, but it’s also a name for the interdisciplinary team created by our very own Amber Vennum. The Relevate team consists of marriage and family therapists, computer engineers, marketing specialists, relationship scholars and educators, and young adults who are passionate about improving the health of individuals and their relationships. Over the past two and a half years, this team has worked toward developing a smartphone app and website meant to fill the chasm between current relationship research and the research-based relationship knowledge accessible to the public.