College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
at Florida State University
Apply for the College’s prestigious Social Science Scholars program online by Friday, October 4 at bit.ly/2025sssp.
The Social Science Scholars Program provides career-accelerating leadership training and experiences to 18 outstanding COSSPP undergraduate students with a major in the College, cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, participation in on-campus, community, and/or business organizations, and is graduating no sooner than the Fall 2025 Semester.
Each year, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy presents its Distinguished Alumni Awards to accomplished individuals to recognize their professional achievements, contributions to society, and support of the college and university.
We are pleased to honor our newest Distinguished Alumni — John E. Dailey, Renisha Gibbs, Vincent S. Long, and Kathy Mears — at the College’s Distinguished Alumni Gala in Spring 2025.
Many great things happened across Florida State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Engage Magazine is the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s annual magazine highlighting the successes of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
We invite you to read the newest issue, as well as previous editions, on our website here.
The Interdisciplinary Social Science (ISS) program is one of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s (COSSPP) largest undergraduate majors, with over 600 students. ISS empowers students to study the world’s complex issues and problems holistically. The program was founded in 1974 within Florida State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, and the major was named social sciences. It was initially designed to provide training for public service and a practical background for citizenship within U.S. democracy with contributions from the Departments of Economics, Geography, History, Political Science and Sociology.
Megan McEnery – a third-year Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Science (ISS) student – was recognized with the 2023-2024 Mattie Durham Senator of the Year Award for best serving students, the Student Senate, and the university community during their term.
Madeleine Siegel – a first-year Juris Doctor candidate at FSU College of Law and a COSSPP alumna (B.S. Interdisciplinary Social Science and Spanish ’21) – currently serves as the Chair of FSU’s Law School Council, where she facilitates all operations, such as ensuring funding requests are distributed properly and equitably among student organizations.
Five COSSPP students were recognized during the annual Leadership Awards Night on April 9. The awards, sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, honor the diverse collection of individuals and groups across campus who engage in leadership and service.
The Division of Student Affairs at Florida State University proudly honored the 2024 inductee class for the Torchbearer 100 program during a celebration on April 15 at the FSU Student Union. Of the entire inductee class, 37 COSSPP students were among them. The Torchbearer 100 program is a longstanding tradition which recognizes a diverse group of 100 undergraduate students who have shown exceptional leadership and achievement during their collegiate careers.
Choosing to attend Florida State University was a natural decision for Shanaya Jaitly, motivated by a lifelong devotion as a Seminole fan and the university’s extensive academic opportunities.
