Dean’s Office
Dean’s Office
An alumna of Valpo and Christ College, Dr. Prough is proud to serve as the seventh dean of Christ College. In her sixth year as dean (including three years as interim dean), she provides strategic leadership for the honors college, overseeing curriculum development, faculty supervision, student recruitment and advising, fundraising, and alumni relations. As a member of both the Provost’s Council and President’s Council, she plays a central role in university-wide strategic planning and serves as executive sponsor for initiatives focused on connecting students with meaningful experiences and uplifting the arts and humanities.
Dr. Prough’s teaching and research interests include the anthropology of media, anthropology of tourism, Japanese studies, gender studies, and globalization. At the heart of Prough’s research and teaching interests are issues of representation and the ways that cultural meanings are produced and managed, experienced and interpreted through mass culture. She is the author of two monographs published by University of Hawai’i Press: “Kyoto Revisited: Heritage Tourism in Contemporary Kyoto” (2022) and “Straight from the Heart: Gender, Intimacy, and the Cultural Production of Shōjo Manga” (2011). Her research has appeared in leading journals including the Journal of Japanese Studies, Japan Forum, and Journal of Asian Studies. She has presented her work at major academic conferences and given invited lectures at institutions including Boston University, Ohio State University, and Yale University.
Dr. Prough is an active member of professional organizations including the American Anthropological Association and Association for Asian Studies. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Midwest Japan Seminar and on the boards of Holden Village and Girls on the Run Indiana Crossroads.
Zachary King joined Christ College in 2023 after seven years with the University’s advancement office, where he worked to engage and solicit alumni and other supporters. Zachary earned his B.A. in English, History, and Humanities from Valpo in 2010 (with honors from a certain third-oldest honors college). After Valpo, he earned a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, with a dissertation on superhero comics and 21st-century American literature. He serves as the CC academic advisor, helping Valpo people pursue the good life while finding their way into a world that needs them, and he is blessed and grateful to be part of this community.
Stephanie Sepiol Milne joined Christ College in 2023 after six years in the advancement office as an alumni engagement and communications specialist. Stephanie earned bachelor of arts degrees in digital media and creative writing from Valparaiso University in 2013 — though she spent most of her time in the VUCA with Chorale, Sigma Alpha Iota, and the theatre department She earned a master of nonprofit administration from North Park University in 2016. Stephanie serves as assistant to the dean of Christ College, assisting Dean Prough with recruitment efforts and other CC matters. She is a member of the University’s Bach Choir.
Sharon Dybel provides valuable administrative support to both the CC Dean’s staff and the CC faculty. She implements and monitors programs, procedures and policies that enhance the workflow of the College. Sharon additionally assists with the CC First-Year Program.
Contact Us
Follow Christ College online at linktr.ee/ValpoCC, where you’ll find our social media pages alongside back issues of The Spillikin. Prospective students may apply to Christ College via their admissions portal.