Overview
Mia Ocean, PhD, LSCSW is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work. Dr. Ocean is a Pell Grant alum and earned her Associate of Arts degree in Psychology from Palm Beach State College, her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of West Florida, her MSW from the University of Michigan and her PhD in Sociology and Social Work from Boston University
Dr. Ocean has taught undergraduate Addictions Studies, Human Services, and Sociology courses at Hispanic Serving Institutions including Broward College, Palm Beach State College and Bakersfield College, and she has taught graduate level Social Work, Public Policy and Administration, and Dissertation Research courses at Boston University, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Maryland Global Campus.
In her scholarsip, Dr. Ocean seeks to engage policy stakeholders in the evaluation process. Her anti-oppressive, community-accountable research has been covered in the Washington Post and has informed evidence-based, equitable transformation at the organizational, state, and federal levels.
Across her work, Dr. Ocean prioritizes people and infuses humor and joy to ensure life-long justice work remains sustainable.
Information
Participatory Research
Financial Aid
Community Colleges
Disability Justice
Anti-Oppressive Criticial Paricipatory Action Research
Access and Equity in Higher Education
Humor in Justice Focused Work
SCWK 851 Applied Social Work Research
SCWK 860 Advanced Generalist Practice Administrating Organizations and Communities
Ocean, M. (2024). The potential of humor to joyously dismantle ableism+: Considerations for social workers. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 51(1), Article 6.
Ocean, M. & Gordon, D. A. (2024). The benefit, harm and complication of humor in social work: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of Social Work, 24(4), 488 510.
Spencer, E. N., Ocean, M., Saboe, M., Condliffe, S., & Hazen, K. (2023). 鈥淲e service the taxpayers and families where others do not鈥�: A rural community college typology. Community College Journal of Research and Practice,48(9), 541鈥�556.
Gordon, D., Posadas, J., Cipriano, B., Parker, A., & Ocean, M. (2022). Incarceration-based educational opportunities: Transforming students, families, the college, and communities. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 47(8), 560-563.
Ocean, M., Montgomery, R., Jamison, Z., Hicks, K., & Thorne, S., (2022). Exploring the expansive properties of interpretive description: An invitation to anti-oppressive researchers. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21.
Ocean, M. (2021). Telework during COVID-19: Exposing ableism in U.S. higher education. Disability & Society, 36(9), 1543-1548.
Ocean, M. (2021). Academically eligible and ineligible Pell Grant community college students:A qualitative investigation. Community College Review, 49(2), 156-176.
2023 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Access, Belonging, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Student Success Award
2022 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Community Engagement Research Award
2019 Omicron Delta Kappa Outstanding Advisor Award
2017 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Faculty Fellowship (through Boston University)
2015 Palm Beach State College Emerging Leader Program
2021-2024 Project title: Navigating the Labyrinth of Higher Education: A Qualitative Inquiry and Pipeline Creation. Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Faculty Professional Development Council (Research Grant: $8,000); West Chester University of Pennsylvania College of Education and Social Work (Research Grant: $2,998; Work-Study Funding: $14,520; Match Funds: $430), Total Project Budget $25,948. Principal Investigator.
2021-2023 Project title: Leveling the Playing Field: A Comprehensive Analysis of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Automated Record Sealing Law. The Clean Slate Initiative (Research Grant $399,994); West Chester University of Pennsylvania (Match Funds: $51,739; Work-Study Funds: $24,250), Total Project Budget $475,984. Co-Principal Investigator.
2019-2021 Project title: Exploring the Black Graduate Social Work Student Experience with Cross-Campus Comparison. West Chester University of Pennsylvania Provost (Research Grant: $7,753); West Chester University of Pennsylvania Graduate Social Work Department (Match Funds: $1,000), Total Project Budget $8,753. Principal Investigator.
2019-2020 Project title: The Economic Impact of Rural Pennsylvania鈥檚 Community Colleges. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania (Research Grant: $50,000); West Chester University of Pennsylvania (Match Funds: $16,499; waived IDC, not included), Total Project Budget $66,499. Co-Principal Investigator.
黑洞社区, School of Social Work, Faculty Search Committee, Co-Chair
City of Wichita, Access Board Member
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS Activist
The Squeaky Wheel, Contributing Writer
The British Journal of Special Education, Editorial Board
The Qualitative Report, Editorial Board