Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows
This program is integral to the effort of university-wide entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University. We are focused on entrepreneurial thinking and acting in all academic areas.
Launched in 2018, faculty fellows are afforded the opportunity to pursue innovations in their home disciplines and foster the infusion of entrepreneurship across campus. Fellows are typically appointed for 1-2 years.
Full Program Description
Application
2018-2020 FELLOWS
Dr. Emily Breit, Associate Professor of Finance
Bio: Dr. Breit received her Ph.D. in Finance from Oklahoma State University and her undergraduate and master's degrees in business from Fort Hays State University. She focuses her research on commercial banking, small business/entrepreneurship lending, corporate governance and pedagogy. She has taught courses in commercial banking, corporate finance, financial and quantitative methods, financial markets and institutions, and economics. Emily is the recipient of the 2017-18 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship; provides consulting as a Policy Fellow for the Docking Institute of Public Affairs; and develops and facilitates public training workshops through the FHSU Management Development Center.
Project: Her project is conducting research to study the relationship entrepreneurs have with lending institutions and why they may not apply for funding when they should.
Dr. Sarah Broman, Assistant Professor Teacher Education
Bio: Dr. Sarah Broman grew up in Russell, Kansas. She has owned and operated a federally licensed childcare business in California, taught conversational English in Japan, and was contracted by the federal government as a Religious Education Director aboard Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. After returning to the United States, she began course work at Indiana University in pursuit of a degree in Elementary Education. Sarah later transferred to Fort Hays State University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 2010. She taught in the public school system for four years while continuing her education at FHSU, receiving her Master of Science degree in 2014. Sarah completed her Doctorate of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with a Reading emphasis at Kansas State University in 2018 and is the instructor of Literacy Assessment and Interventions in the Department of Teacher Education.
Project: Working along with Dr. Walizer, their project is to develop a literacy program for at-risk children in Northwest Kansas.
Ms. Claudia Carvalho, Instructor of Biological Sciences
Bio: Ms. Carvalho is originally from Brazil. She graduated with a B.S in Biology in 2007 and with a M.S in Biology in 2009 from Fort Hays State University. She worked from 2009 to 2015 at Baylor University in the Biology Department as a lab instructor. She returned to Fort Hays in 2015 as in instructor of biology. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Health from Walden University. Claudia's research interests are mainly in the quantitative study on the perceptions and knowledge of antibiotic stewardship among individuals living in rural communities and isolation and characterization of soil microorganisms producing antimicrobial agents.
Project: Her project will address the problem of medication non-adherence in patients and its affect in increasing antibiotic resistance. From this, she plans to attempt to produce a scalable solution.
Dr. Arvin Cruz, Chair and Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Bio: Dr. Cruz is an Associate Professor of physical-inorganic chemistry and serves as the Chair of the FHSU Chemistry Department. He earned his B.S. Chemistry degree from De La Salle University – Manila, Philippines and M.S./PhD – Chemistry from Wichita State University. He worked briefly as Quality Engineer at Hospira Inc. pharmaceutical company in McPherson, KS from 2009-2010. In 2010-2012, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research fellow in Dr. Paul Rillema’s research group at Wichita State University. His specialization is in physical and inorganic Chemistry. His research area is in photophysical and electrochemical characterization of transition metal complexes as photosensitizer-dyes for photovoltaic applications. His professional affiliations include serving as Chair of the American Chemical Society (ACS) – Wichita Local Section and Associate Editor of American Journal of Applied Sciences.
Project: His project is an attempt to create novel materials for solar electricity generation which are stable to commercialize.
Dr. Brent Goertzen, Professor of Leadership Studies
Bio: Dr. Goertzen has been teaching leadership courses since 2000. Brent received a doctoral degree in Community and Human Resources with a specialization in Leadership Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2003 and joined the faculty of Fort Hays State University later that year. Dr. Goertzen coordinates the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Organizational Leadership program and teaches classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including course such as team dynamics, fieldwork experiences, research methods and leadership development.
Project: Working along with Dr. Lubin, this project is the development of an online graduate certificate pathway for supporting individuals in school districts in Kansas and across the nation in becoming leaders with expertise in working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Jacqueline Lubin, Assistant Professor in Advanced Education Programs
Bio: Born on the island of St. Lucia, Dr. Lubin has been in the field of education for almost two decades. In 2016, she received a doctorate in education in Leadership Studies from University of Lynchburg. She joined the Fort Hays State University community in Fall 2016 where is currently teaching graduate special education courses. She has received Fort Hays State University: College of Education – Outstanding Scholarly Activity Award in Fall 2017. In addition, she was a nominee for FHSU President’s Distinguished Scholar Award in Spring 2018. In Fall 2018, she, together with colleagues, was awarded the Leadership Transformation Grant by Kansas Leadership Center.
Project: Working along with Dr. Goertzen, this project is the development of an online graduate certificate pathway for supporting individuals in school districts in Kansas and across the nation in becoming leaders with expertise in working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Samuel Schreyer, Associate Professor of Economics
Bio: Dr. Schreyer received his Ph.D. in economics from Claremont Graduate University and his undergraduate and master’s degrees in music and economics from Wichita State University. Samuel primarily teaches courses in money and banking, quantitative methods, and macroeconomics. His research interests include monetary policy, financial crises, and small business finances, and he has published in journals that include the Journal of Financial Economic Policy, Journal of Developing Areas, and the Journal of Economic Development. Samuel is the recipient of the 2017-18 William and Anita Lusk Faculty Member of Distinction.
Project: His research focuses on increasing the likelihood of success for startups by analyzing their wage dynamics and employment strategies.
Dr. Ziwei Qi, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Bio: Dr. Qi earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of North Dakota; a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. Cloud State University; a Law degree from Nankai University, one of the most prestigious universities in the People’s Republic of China. Before arriving at Fort Hays State University, Dr. Qi taught in the Justice and Policy Studies Department at Guilford College. As an international scholar in criminal justice policies and comparative criminal justice, her research examines migration, crime, the left-behind children, and their associated problems through a cross-cultural perspective. Dr. Qi has presented her research at both national and international conferences, and is currently working on conference articles and book chapters in the aforementioned topics. Dr. Qi has also been actively engaged in research involving gender and crime, restorative justice, social entrepreneurship in the criminal justice system, and experiential learning in the United States.
Project: Working along with Dr. Yang, their project is to create a program to assist abuse survivors in developing skills for self-employment.
Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Bio: Dr. Yang holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa, a nationally-recognized doctoral program; a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Emerson College in Boston; a BA in Political Science from National Taiwan University. Early in her career, she worked as a political campaigner, a radio host and a researcher in various organizations during Taiwan’s democratization. Her diverse academic and professional experiences have bolstered her critical and creative thinking for teaching and research as well as her passion for social advocacy and community service.
Project: Working along with Dr. Qi, their project is to create a program to assist abuse survivors in developing skills for self-employment.
Dr. Beth Walizer, Professor of Teacher Education
Bio: Dr. Beth Walizer graduated from Fort Hays State University (FHSU) with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1979 and a Master of Science in Education Administration in 1992. She earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Assessment with an emphasis in Reading from Kansas State University in 2004. Beth taught elementary grades for USD 407 in Russell from August 1979 until May 2003. She began teaching as an adjunct in 2001 for the Department of Teacher Education at FHSU and became a full-time faculty member in August 2003. Currently, Dr. Walizer is a Professor teaching Literacy Methods courses, on campus and virtually, with corresponding Internships. Additionally, she teaches Improving Instruction Through Reading and Writing, a Transition to Teaching graduate course. Her research interests and grant work involves the integration of literacy into other content areas and developing theoretically ground interventions to improve reading instruction and increase student learning in technology-embedded classrooms.
Project: Working along with Dr. Broman, their project is to develop a literacy program for at-risk children in Northwest Kansas.