Introduction

Since earning tenure and promotion in 2021, my research and scholarship have been devoted to three foci. The first is collaborative research that produces articles and peer-reviewed presentations, reflected in my research partnerships with faculty in the College of Business. During my sabbatical I furthered my research work with these partners. The second area is to continue to seek opportunities for invited speaker and presenter roles at academic conferences like the Midwest Academy of Management. The third is grantsmanship. In my professional life, before teaching at MSU Mankato, I was a successful grant writer who helped raise millions of dollars for non-profit organizations. In my first collaborative grant proposal with the Agribusiness faculty, we received a fully-funded USDA grant that reached over 1,200 Minnesotans in the two-year project. The success of this project suggests that further investment in this area can increase the number of grants and the revenue generated. 

Collaborations with Researchers in the College of Business 

The areas where my research interests dovetailed with colleagues in the College of Business were emotional intelligence, organization formation/turnaround, and the entrepreneurial mindset. In the last four years, I focused on two research projects. 

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

I teach students about the role of emotional intelligence in leading teams and organizations. Two colleagues in Management, Drs. Claudia Pragman and Kathy Richie, expressed an interest in conducting a large-scale mixed-methods study of emotional intelligence. We designed a study using a self-reported 33-item questionnaire using the emotional intelligence instrument. This instrument was developed and validated by Malouff et al (1998) and utilizes the Salvoy and Mayer (1990) model of emotional intelligence. It represents three areas: (1) appraisal and expression of emotion in the self and others; (2) regulation of emotions in the self and others; and (3) the utilization of emotions in problem-solving. In 2021, we conceptualized the study and determined the instrument for the quantitative element. We goal was 300 responses, but by working with a national survey company (Centiment), we obtained a sample of 1,196 responses over 3 days with 35 different industries represented and a 50-50 male/female gender representation. In 2022, we presented material from our literature review at the Forum on Workplace Inclusion, sponsored by Augsburg University. The presentation was titled Emotional Intelligence: Implementing an Inclusive Post-COVID Resilience Strategy. During this time,we were worked with CESAR to analyze the data set. We presented our initial finddings at the peer-reviewed Midwest Academy of Management Conference (Chicago) in fall 2023. I presented our methodology and experience working with a survey vendor at the 2022 Sociology Department Faculty Reprise. This helps inspire graduate students to consider alternative data collection processes for their thesis and research. See Criterion 2 evidence for IRB, presentation acceptance correspondence, and copies of presentations or affidavits of participation. 

EFFECTUATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL THINKING

In 2023, Reggie Carter, a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) entrepreneur, was referred by MSU Mankato's new Polytechnic as he needed venture growth assistance. While I no longer provide small business consulting (I am a former Small Business Development Center Director from the Twin Cities), We met and I connected him with my colleague, Dr. Cheryl Trahms, in the Management Department. She runs an MBA course where students provide free business and marketing consulting. 

Must Be Ruff, Reggie's company, is a gourmet dog treat company. They were impressed with the service-learning counseling from our students and volunteered to participate in case study research with Dr. Trahms and me. In 2024, we published one teaching case in the Journal of Business Cases and Applications. We are developing a second case involving decision-making and entrepreneurial thinking around the CBD-infused dog treat business with an outside investor. See Criterion 2 evidence for a copy of the published case (Trahms-Chapman & Mollenkopf-Pigsley, 2024). 

Grants as Scholarship- Ag in Action

In fall 2021, the grant proposal I co-authored with Dr. Shane Bowyer was fully funded at $224,793 to launch a project called Ag in Action. The project kicked off in early 2022 and was completed in the fall of 2024. The grant was a US Department of Agriculture Service Learning grant. Its goal was to increase youth awareness of agriculture and ag careers, especially BIPOC. When kids learn more about where their food comes from, they make better food choices, and advocate for greater access to healthy foods from sustainable sources. We also designed the grant to provide undergraduate students an opportunity to impact social change through service-learning tied to the agriculture sector. This was a collaborative effort between MSU Mankato and the non-profit community (Minnesota Venture Farms, Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, and MY Place Mankato). I served as co-PI, and we successfully served more than 1,200 young Minnesotans and MSU college students over the two-year period. A copy of the grant narrative is provided in Criterion 2 evidence.

Future Outlook

I plan to continue to research with Drs.Trahms, Pragman, and Richie to publish and present work in entrepreneurial thinking, organization formation/turnaround, emotional intelligence, and social enterprise. My goal is to publish in highly regarded academic journals as well as open source literature. I will also continue to identify and apply for new grant opportunities with colleagues across campus that support agriculture, equity in agriculture, and food justice. 

Letters of Support