{"id":21068,"date":"2026-05-08T11:24:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/?p=21068"},"modified":"2026-05-08T13:46:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:46:57","slug":"two-faculty-innovators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/two-faculty-innovators\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Faculty Innovators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this week\u2019s blog, we highlight two Valpo faculty who have worked hard to update their pedagogy in response to real-world challenges. Paul Smith (Chemistry) has his students doing original research on creating sustainable fuel made from used cooking oil and eggshells. Phrosini Samis-Smith (CONHP) has used feedback from alumni and external partners to create new courses and programs that better position our students for success in their field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Smith: Lab Students Conduct Sustainable Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Paul Smith (Chemistry) helped start Valpo\u2019s Collaboratory<\/a> in partnership with the Office of Advancement. The goal was to promote collaboration with outside companies. The company would pose a research question that they don\u2019t have the resources to answer, then Valpo students would be trained to answer that question. Ideally, those students would then become priority candidates for a future career at that company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul learned of a similar model when he attended a conference presentation by a college that sent out a call for proposals to local industries, which then bid for students to work on research projects. With these examples in mind, Paul used his sabbatical year (2024-25) to completely overhaul CHEM 115, the General Chemistry lab sequence. Instead of running \u201ccookbook\u201d experiments designed to reinforce lecture content, he reimagined the course to pursue a research project in collaboration with a local business and with no known outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies in chemistry pedagogy have shown the value of experiments converting cooking oils to biodiesel, and Loyola-Chicago\u2019s Searle Laboratory (which converts cafeteria oil to bus fuel) illustrates how these projects can become significant university initiatives and programs. Working with Paul, the Advancement Office found a local McDonald\u2019s which generously donated samples to supply waste oil. He also obtained discarded eggshells donated from one morning\u2019s breakfast service at Founders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the new lab sequence which debuted in Fall 2025, students attempted to create a sustainably sourced, carbon-neutral fuel from these two waste feedstocks (used cooking oil and eggshells). This new program is a marketable, proven example of successful collaboration among Valpo\u2019s administration (e.g., Office of Advancement\/Collaboratory), services (Founders), an industry partner (McDonald\u2019s), the College of Arts and Sciences (CHEM115-setting) and the College of Engineering (high-temperature facilities).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sequence has additional benefits, as its focus on green chemistry and accessible feedstocks resulted in a reduced laboratory budget due to lower costs for supplies and low waste disposal. Lastly, the sequence was well-received by students in departmental surveys. 88% of anonymous survey respondents thought the sequence optimally balanced experiments having rigorous procedures with those having more freeform choice of conditions. The sequence was also cited as better than other Valpo labs at optimally connecting labs across several weeks, and pursuing questions with no known or widely accepted answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next year\u2019s students will build on the research done this year. Paul speculates that down the road perhaps this could turn into a business venture with the fuel being used to power Valpo\u2019s own shuttle buses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phrosini Samis-Smith: New Curriculum for an Evolving Workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Phrosini Samis-Smith (CONHP), a Valpo alumnus in sports management, believes strongly that complacency has no place in education: \u201cStudents are constantly evolving, and the healthcare landscape is continually changing. For this reason, curriculum design and teaching methods must evolve alongside student needs and professional expectations.\u201d Therefore, in her roles as Program Director for Healthcare Leadership, Healthcare Administration, and Health Science, Phrosini has worked to ensure that the curricula remain current and relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she became Program Director for Healthcare Leadership in 2021, she researched other similar programs in our area and also contacted alumni to get their perspective. The result is that the number of elective credits was reduced from 25 to 9, making the program much more rigorous and streamlined. Alumni feedback also led her to partner with the College of Business to add classes in marketing, finance, and human resources management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students are now able to earn a minor in public health. Phrosini commented that students these days like to \u201cstack\u201d their degrees for more job flexibility. So this new minor allows students in, for example, Healthcare Leadership or Health Science programs, to earn a credential outside their field by taking just a few extra credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phrosini did similar background research to update the Master of Healthcare Administration degree. She learned from our workplace partners that students needed more help in working as part of a team. So she added a new course in Leadership and Team Building. Another new course on Ethical and Legal Issues, taught by a lawyer, instructs students about basic workplace topics such as overtime pay and discrimination. After polling alumni and listening carefully to their experiences, she again partnered with the College of Business to add a marketing course\u2014 ensuring that the curriculum reflected real-world demands and student preparation beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Phrosini also oversaw the transition of the Exercise Science Program from CAS to CONHP. She worked closely with two other professors, David Lantis and Peixing Jiang, to strengthen and modernize the curriculum. One result is that they were able to get the program STEM-designated. She described this as a real feather in their cap, because it means that international students can now qualify for a visa extension to take the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team also revamped the program to create two concentrations: Fitness & Human Performance and Pre-Health Professions. Future personal trainers and coaches tend to take the first track, while those intending to go on to graduate school in OT or PT take the second. CONHP now actively promotes the program to student athletes, so that some of them even join the program as freshmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I asked Phrosini what lessons other departments might learn from her experience in making curriculum relevant for our graduates. Most importantly, she stressed talking to our alumni. Even if they have not been in the workplace very long, they can see the trends in their profession. Because we have a great alumni network, contacting alumni is also fairly easy to do. Just email alumni@valpo.edu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, Phrosini talked about the importance of researching similar programs at our peer institutions. Nowadays, since we must compete for every student, it is critical to know what our competitors are doing. This knowledge also helps us to see where our strengths lie, so that we can make Valpo\u2019s programs stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I asked Phrosini what role marketing has played in letting students know about these new and revamped programs. She has partnered with our marketing department, but she also suggests that each department do its own marketing, since you know your own programs best. In CONHP, their administrative assistant Kate Patterson deftly handles all their social media accounts and regularly posts to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like to end with a quote from Phrosini about the purpose of education: \u201cEducation is not simply about content delivery; it is about shaping thoughtful, ethical, and compassionate individuals who will serve others with integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL In this week\u2019s blog, we highlight two Valpo faculty who have worked hard to update their pedagogy in response to real-world challenges. Paul Smith (Chemistry) has his students doing original research on creating sustainable fuel made from used cooking oil and eggshells. Phrosini Samis-Smith (CONHP) has used…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[216],"tags":[241,76,240,102,237,115,135,236],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-21068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-216","tag-community-connection","tag-curriculum","tag-experiential-learning","tag-instructional-design","tag-interdisciplinary","tag-pedagogy","tag-student-research","tag-workforce-development"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"crutz","author_link":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/author\/crutz\/"},"featured_img":null,"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"Profile":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"crutz","author_link":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/author\/crutz\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL In this week\u2019s blog, we highlight two Valpo faculty who have worked hard to update their pedagogy in response to real-world challenges. Paul Smith (Chemistry) has his students doing original research on creating sustainable fuel made from used cooking oil and eggshells. Phrosini Samis-Smith (CONHP) has used…","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["2026<\/a>"],"unlinked":["2026<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["community connection<\/a>","Curriculum<\/a>","experiential learning<\/a>","instructional design<\/a>","interdisciplinary<\/a>","pedagogy<\/a>","student research<\/a>","workforce development<\/a>"],"unlinked":["community connection<\/span>","Curriculum<\/span>","experiential learning<\/span>","instructional design<\/span>","interdisciplinary<\/span>","pedagogy<\/span>","student research<\/span>","workforce development<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 weeks ago","modified":"Updated 3 weeks ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 8, 2026","modified":"Updated on May 8, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 8, 2026 11:24 am","modified":"Updated on May 8, 2026 1:46 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21068"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21072,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21068\/revisions\/21072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21068"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intra.valpo.edu\/cital\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=21068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}