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This site is not public--it is explicitly intended for Minnesota State Mankato employees responsible for evaluating the professional activities of Christine Mollenkopf-Pigsley. Please do not use any documents or text from this site in a public manner or outside of the purposes needed for activities at Minnesota State Mankato.
Photo: MSU Mankato logo. Courtesy of MSU Mankato, mnsu.edu
How to navigate this site
How to navigate this site
This site contains my application for promotion. The organization of this site is commensurate with Article 22 section B of the InterFaculty Organization (IFO) contract and the evaluation guidelines as denoted in Appendix G. The evidence documents and forms are included in the Watermark system for MSU Mankato. This website is simply a more readable way to review the narrative this application and accompanying letters of support.
Please start by scrolling down to the first item titled "Introduction and Overview". Then when you reach the end of the section you will be directed to progress through each section of the application systematically for each of the five criterion areas. Click on the next button to move to the next section.
Within each of the criterion you will find a narrative, synthesis of data supporting the criterion, letters of support as appropriate, and links to evidence related to that criterion. In addition to the five criterion areas you will find a current CV, letters of support, and other evidentiary materials to support this application.
When you see a document or infographic displayed on the site you have the ability to scroll down to review the entire document and also can use a touchscreen or mouse to enlarge the item for optimal viewing.
I encourage you to scroll down and read the letters of support and recommendation where you can hear the voices of those with whom I work and who have experienced my teaching, leading, and advising are found at the end of criterion 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 pages on this site.
At any point, you may use the tabs at the top of this site to quickly navigate to the criterion of interest and each page contains a table of contents which will allow you to easily navigate to the items contained in that section.
Any students who have been identified in this application, such as the use of their full name and/or a signed letter of support, have provided permission for me to use their name and story in this application.
Introduction and Overview
Introduction and Overview
In early 2021, when I applied for my first promotion and tenure, I had no idea of the personal or professional journey I would be taking. Our communities and students were still reeling from the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the subsequent civil unrest. In my own family, my husband was diagnosed with stage four metastatic colon cancer. Simultaneously, the COVID-19 pandemic sent our students home and quarantined many of us to a new way of work and higher education. As I practice what I teach (leadership, followership, change management, social enterprise, and innovation), I have taken my journey as tenured faculty with a new perspective that you will see demonstrated in this application for promotion to full professor in Applied Leadership in the Department of Sociology and Leadership Studies.
I have described myself as a scholar-practitioner for many years; I am both a facilitator of the learning experience and one who combines theory with practice. In addition, I embed the applied experience in the online classroom where students can readily transfer skills and knowledge from the curriculum to their own lives. This commitment feeds my research interests and drives my pedagogy. It shapes the growth of the Applied Leadership BS Program in terms of new curriculum, recruitment, and advising strategy. It is also how I serve my department, college, and university, to advance its mission and vision.
I remain a scholar-practitioner four-years later, but today, I am also an academic entrepreneur. Challenge breeds innovation and a general rethinking of how we achieve student success. The mental and emotional trauma from the pandemic, combined with challenging financial situations for our students and the university, weigh heavily in the story I will tell through the lens of the five criteria of Article 22 of the IFO contract.
Babson College defines contemporary entrepreneurship as a holistic approach to changing the world. These entrepreneurs seize opportunities, gather resources, and build teams to capitalize on their vision (Villacci, November 10, 2023). The last four years have been a deep dive into how that definition applies to my educator and campus leader career.
Like many of our students, I have changed over the last four years. As I prepare this application, I am planning the funeral for my husband, who lost his battle with cancer on December 30th. It is ironic that the last time I applied for promotion in 2021, my husband was at the beginning of the cancer journey, and today, we are at its end. This promotion to full professor will open a new chapter in my academic career and life.
Losing a spouse is both challenging and life-altering. It also connects me with the myriad of professional, personal, health, mental, emotional, and financial struggles faced by our students at MSU Mankato. Student success is at the center of my professional mission. Their success requires more than book learning; it is a way of being and living as both a learner and an innovator. I serve as an academic entrepreneur and will continue to create a legacy of applied learning that increases the success of the program and the alumni who graduate from it.
Curriculum Vitae
Curriculum Vitae
Mollenkopf-Pigsley CV 2025.pdfIntent to Apply
Intent to Apply
Christine Mollenkopf Pigsley memo of intent to apply for promotion 9-5-24.docxPage updated
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