UTA School of Social Work hosts PhD Mixer Event

The event brought new PhD students together with School of Social Work faculty and staff to meet and mingle before the fall 2025 semester formally began.

“This event promoted conversation and collaboration between faculty and students to set a positive tone for the new academic year,” said Rachel Voth Schrag, PhD program director and associate professor. “They get to see faculty and more advanced students in a new light — as people and scholars. They share experiences, talk about what excites them and the challenges they face, and begin integrating into the culture and community of the School of Social Work.”

Kofi Agboh, a new PhD student at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work, mingles with members of his cohort at the Faculty and PhD mixer event.

The event gave faculty a relaxed, informal setting to connect with the school’s most advanced students.

“Faculty get the chance to relax in a more informal environment, get to know students as people, and find connections between their work and the students’ interests,” Voth Schrag said. “It also allows faculty to engage with a broader cross section of our PhD student body, beyond those they work with on research or see in class.”

Voth Schrag said the mixer also served as a meaningful touchpoint for students undergoing a unique transition.

“Students in the PhD program are in a period of transition from being students to becoming junior colleagues in the academic environment,” she said. “Providing a space for engagement between faculty and students, and between students at different phases of the program, helps incoming students envision what their careers could look like and opens doors for new collaboration.”