Learning from the next generation of innovators to make the world of higher education ever better

Meet Philadelphia Network and Meliora Collective Mentorship Program member Matthew Smalarz ’16 (PhD)

Share a bit about yourself! What are you up to now?

I’m currently the Assessment and Accreditation Officer at La Salle University, which is also my alma mater in Philadelphia. I also serve as the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and serve as one of La Salle’s Middle States’ 2024-2025 Self-Study Co-Chairs.

What are your most cherished memories from your time at the University of Rochester?

Some of my fondest memories as a graduate student at the University of Rochester include the numerous history graduate events, such as the graduate history conference and prominent guest historical speakers, regularly held and conducted by the History Department. In addition, I still cherish the many history graduate gatherings and outings that I experienced with my Rochester graduate friends and colleagues, both on campus and throughout Rochester itself, during my time at the University.

What University resources or initiatives were most impactful to your next steps after graduating?

In my experience, the History Department, with its many fine and well-respected faculty researchers, has always provided its graduate and undergraduate students with the necessary departmental resources and institutional support to steer them toward their professional goals. Its emphasis on intellectual versatility has been an invaluable asset in my professional growth as both an educator and a higher education administrator.

How did your experience at the University of Rochester influence your life?

What makes the University of Rochester’s educational mission so distinct from other leading higher educational enterprises, in my opinion, is its shared and visible commitment to promoting innovative, educational approaches, methods, and practices that transcend, traditional academic boundaries for the present and future good of its students, graduates, and the communities it serves. Even now, I remind my fellow colleagues that, as career educators and higher education administrators, we have an obligation to establish meaningful and dynamic educational processes and practices that will ultimately benefit our students’ long-term intellectual growth and professional skills.

What sparked your initial interest in volunteering with the University? What role(s) have you held?

I joined the Meliora Collective Mentorship Program this past Spring with the goal of imparting the lessons I’ve learned, and wisdom I’ve obtained, both as an educator and higher education administrator, to the next generation of Rochester graduates who intend to pursue faculty and administrative positions in higher education. In addition, my mentees have also shared their insights about the present state of higher education and taught me new educational trends and practices that will prove influential to higher education’s future pathways. In addition to working at La Salle University as its AAO, I formerly taught as a full-time history professor at Manor College in Jenkintown, PA, for over a decade, and worked as the Director of Assessment and Accreditation at Gwynedd Mercy University in suburban Philadelphia.

What advice do you have for fellow alumni and friends who may be interested in taking a more active role in our alumni and friends’ community?

When you give back your time – whether as a mentor or contributor to an important University community or alumni endeavor – to guide and support present and future UR students and graduates along their academic and professional journeys, you’re ultimately living and fulfilling the University’s mission of “making the world ever better.” Living the University’s mission also means listening to, and learning from, the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and advocates graduating from Rochester, while finding constructive and meaningful ways to apply their ideas and insights to emerging issues and challenges throughout our rapidly changing world.

What’s the most rewarding part of staying connected with your alma mater?

The most rewarding part of maintaining and sustaining my bond with Rochester is knowing that there will always be a shared commitment among its students and graduates to impart and instill its noble and enduring mission values beyond the Rochester campus and metropolitan region to our global community.