Management Department Year in Review, 2025-26

A Note from the Chair Department

Welcome to the Management Department’s annual newsletter. I am writing to share a few of the Management Department’s accomplishments over the last academic year (2025-2026). We served over 8500 business students and provided programs for approximately 1400 undergraduate students majoring in management which includes emphases in entrepreneurship, human resources, and general management. We also served over 350 MBA students including our Masters of Science in Global Business Development (MSGBD) which graduated 13 students this year.

I am delighted to share that in 2025-2026, our entrepreneurship program was ranked by U.S. News and World Report (2025) as the 14th best program offered by public universities. Similarly, the international business program (of which we are academic partners) was ranked by the U.S. News and World Report as the 6th best program offered by public universities.

The Management Department Faculty comprises of 18 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 3 tenured faculty in phased retirement, 2 clinical scholars, and approximately 36 adjunct faculty. 

Management Department Advisory Board Highlights: 

• With a highly engaged advisory board, chaired by Jennifer Freet (‘11), we have expanded to 15 members which includes adding two new board member this year: Kyle McGrory (Principal HR Business Partner at Intuit) and Matt Hiler (ʻ10: Senior Director of Global Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at Power A).
  
  

• In addition to our Fall and Spring Advisory Board meetings, we had several planned board and community engagement events this year including a SDSU football tailgate (November 2025) which was unfortunately cancelled due to rain, a Graduate Business Alumni and Student networking event (April 2026), an all Fowler College of Business (FCB) Boards event (Fall 2025) and a summer Board Mixer (June 2026). Many thanks to Jackie Reed (Board Member) who hosted this event at Jake’s Del Mar (T & S Restaurants).

Curriculum Enhancements & Innovations: 

• The Management Department curriculum is unique in the Fowler College of Business as we require our students to do an internship in order to complete their degree. This past year we had 559 internships overall with 249 being paid internships (approximately 45%) and several that were converted into actual jobs after the internship ended. For example, one of our students, Candace Arnold, attended a summer internship in 2025 that landed her a job as a Management Trainee at Cintas First Aid & Safety. She states, “I really appreciate the emphasis SDSU places on Management students completing an internship before graduating. My experience in the MGT 401 class and the internship opportunity is truly the reason I secured a job post grad.”
  
  
• We launched an AI survey this summer to ask internship students about the use of AI in their internship companies; approximately 69% of these companies were reported to use AI technology in their daily operations.
  
  
• Valerie Alexandra completed the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) training in Summer 2025 and implemented a large-scale COIL project with faculty from Tecnológico de Monterey (Tec) in Spring 2026 in BA310. Over 300 students from SDSU engaged with 250 students from Tec in an eight-week project focused on the impact of businesses on the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the impact of various environmental differences across countries (e.g., economic, political, cultural, regulatory, etc.). The project aimed to enhance student knowledge and skills by fostering intercultural competencies, global perspectives, and virtual collaboration skills. 
  
  
• Beth Chung and Devin Rapp attended a summer long “Leading AI-Ready Program” in order to explore ways to integrate AI into our curriculum.
  
  
• Two new classes were created that are housed in the management department. Career and Professional Readiness (BA 305) which is a required course for all undergraduates and Contemporary Executive Toolkit (BA 600) which is a required course for all MBA students. Both courses were designed to prepare students for professional success in their chosen careers.
  
  

• Led by Martina Musteen, the Class of '26 in the Master of Science in Global Business Development (MSGBD) program traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia for their capstone consulting experience (Client: Georgian Bus/Sorriso). The student cohort will participate in a commencement ceremony on August 19, 2026.
  
  
• Martina Musteen led the successful launch of the Softlanding @ SDSU program that welcomed founders/CEO/CGOs from 4 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Guyana, Honduras) and engaged MGT 748 students in consulting projects.
  
  
• Led by CongCong Zheng, the MBA and Graduate Business Alumni Chapter (Grad Business Alumni Chapter) was formed and kicked off their first event with a mixer at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center on April 10th. This group was created to build community among the nearly 14,000 alumni holding graduate degrees from the Fowler College of Business. 

Student and Alumni Spotlights:

• The student SHRM chapter received the 2025-2026 Outstanding Chapter Award from national SHRM.  This award is given to the top 12 student chapters in the country. This is the chapter’s sixth time receiving this national recognition from SHRM.
  
  
• Led by Michelle Dean, the student SHRM chapter finished in 2nd place at the SHRM California HR Case Competition which the chapter successfully hosted this April (2026) at SDSU. 
  
  
• The SDSU SHRM chapter sent 15 students to the SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition (June 2026) in Orlando.
  
  
• Jamileh Hamideh (MSGBD) received the Greatest Social Impact award in the Social Venture Challenge. She states: “One of the most meaningful parts of my MSGBD journey has been how often learning moved beyond the classroom and into the real world… I experienced global business as a student, consultant, customer, and ultimately an entrepreneur. Along the way, I gained a community and discovered possibilities I may never have pursued otherwise. The program didn't simply teach me about global business; it gave me opportunities to live it”.
  
  

• Kelly Wilson was selected as the 2026 Outstanding Student in Management and named Management Adjunct Faculty Dan Eaton as her Most Influential Professor. Kelly will be starting at the UCLA School of Law starting in Fall 2026.
  
  
• Abigail Patel was selected as the 2026 Outstanding Student in General Business and named Management Adjunct Faculty Nancy Arenas as her Most Influential Professor.
  
  
• Simon Zeile was selected as the valedictorian for the MSGBD Class of 2026 and named John Francis as his Most Influential Professor.
  
  
• Paulina Eggers was selected as the 2026 Outstanding Student in the MBA Program and named Management Faculty CongCong Zheng as her Most Influential Professor.

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Management Faculty Accolades: 

• Gabi Eissa was promoted to Full Professor in Spring 2026. Congratulations Gabi!
  
  
• Justin Wiegand was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure in Spring 2026. Congratulations Justin!
  
  
• In summer of 2026, we welcomed our newest management faculty member: Kristie Neff (Ethics).
  
  
• The MGT department hired our second Clinical Scholar, Amber Quarles. Amber has been a dedicated SDSU lecturer for many years and will be transitioning into her new role this Fall. 
  
  
• Michelle Dean received a 2026 SDSU Quest for the Best most influential faculty award.
  
  
• Martina Musteen was recognized as the “Outstanding Professor” by the MSGBD Class of 2025.
  

• Dwarka Chakravarty (MGT Faculty) received the 2025 Fowler Teaching Excellence Award 
  
  
• Dan Eaton (MGT Adjunct Faculty) also received the 2025 Fowler Teaching Excellence Award
  
  
• Mujtaba Ahsan successfully organized and hosted the 12th annual California Entrepreneurship Educator’s Conference (CEEC) at SDSU in April 2026. This conference brings together entrepreneurship scholars and educators from around the world. 
  
  
• Martina Musteen was appointed to the Board of Directors of SDSU Mission Valley Enterprises  
  
  
• In Spring 2026, Justin Wiegand received the Fowler College of Business Assigned Time Award for Exceptional Service to Students
  
  
• Chamu Sundaramurthy who was our past Department Chair and Associate Dean will be retiring this Fall and will be entering the Faculty Early Retirement Program. Thank you Chamu for all your years of service to the Management Department and the Fowler College of Business.
  

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Management faculty continue to be prolific with their research and editorships. Management faculty serve as members of 20+ journal editorial boards and contribute as Editors or Associate Editors for several prominent journals. Some new editorial appointments this year include: 

• Taekjin Shin: Associate Editor of Strategic Organization
  
  
• Jeremy Bernerth: Associate Editor of Journal of Organizational Behavior
  

The department faculty have collectively published hundreds of articles in the last five years with 19 of them published or accepted for publication this academic year.

• Below is a list of these articles: 

  • Bernerth, J.B., Carter, M.Z., Pepe, J.A, Holmes, R.M., & Hochwater, W. (in press). The unintended consequences of state policies on entrepreneurial activity and the quality of work life: A social impact study. Journal of Applied Psychology.

  • Bernerth, J.B., Carter, M., McLarty, B., Cole, M.S., & Eissa, G. (in press). The (in)congruence effects of supervisor bottom-line mentality identity and reputation on group performance: A moderated mediation model. Human Relations. 

  • Cole, M.S., Dimotakis, N., & Bernerth, J.B. (2026). Navigating the emotional landscape: Unraveling the impact of daily justice expectations, experiences, and their role in counterproductive work behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 2026, 111(5), 565–585.

  • Bernerth, J.B., Sawhney, G., Liu, S., Koopman, J., & Flinn, T. (2026). From fried to focused? A daily diary study of after-work cannabis use and downstream performance effects. Journal of Organizational and Occupational Psychology, 99, e70092.

  • Wiegand, J. P., & Morgan, T. J. (2025). Strive to fit: Person, vocation, and organization strivings’ impact on employee engagement and job performance. Personality and Individual Differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113370

  • Alexandra, V. & Randel, A.E. (2026). Feeling included in the workgroup as a multicultural: The role of prosocial motivation and context dependent message communication. Journal of International Management, 32(4), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2026.101387.

  • Song, Y., Zhou, Y. M., & Zhao, X. (2026). Launch support: Managing complementor bottlenecks in the disruptive innovation of small satellites. Strategic Management Journal, 47(3), 758-803.

  • Musteen, M., Liu, X., & Chakravarty, D. 2025. Abandonment of Cross-border Acquisitions: The Role of Target Country Context. Journal of World Business, 60(4) -- finalist for 2025 Best Paper Award by Journal of World Business.

  • Delios, A., Hu, T., Yu., S., […], Chakravarty, D., et al. (November, 2025). Insights from the crowd: Inferences from many approaches to key empirical questions in international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 56, 1102-1124.

  • Hoai, T. T., Adomako, S., Nguyen, N. P., & Ahsan, M. (2025). International Orientation and Post‐Entry Performance of International New Ventures: The Mediating Role of Decision Rationality. Thunderbird International Business Review.

  • Rivin, J. M., Cropanzano, R., & Van Wagoner, H. (2026). How curiosity mitigates mental health challenges in organizations. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

  • Singh, V., Rivin, J. M., van Wagoner, H. P., Keplinger, K., & Barbuto, J. (2026). Chatting Towards Inclusivity: A Digital Approach to Inclusion Action Plans and Leader Development. Human Resource Management, 65(2), 605-630.
    
    

  • Cropanzano, R., Keplinger, K., Rivin, J. M., & Van Wagoner, H. P. (2026). The influence of artificial intelligence on workplace social exchange. In Handbook of Social Exchange Theory in Organizations (pp. 580-596). Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Shore, L., Chung, B., & Dean, M. (2026).  Inclusion, exclusion, and social exchange. In J. Coyle-Shapiro, R. Cropazano, & M-R Deihl (Eds.), Handbook of Social Exchange Theory (pp. 509-522). Edward Elgar Publishing.
    
    

  • Chung, B., G., & Shore, L. (2026). Why Went Wrong with DEI Initiatives? In E.B. King, Q.M. Roberson, & M.R. Hebl (Eds.), A Call to Action Part 1: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through Systems, Institutions, and Policy Levers, Research on Social Issues in Management. Emerald Publishing Limited.

  • Neff, K., Hayman, M., Cummings, M., & Pidduck, R. (2025). Founders’ social class origin, risk-taking, and venture performance: A Bourdieusian lens. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587251371486
    
    
  • Brändle, L., Rönnert, A., Neff (Moergen), K., Zhao, E. (2025). Social class origin and entrepreneurship: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Business Venturing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2025.106503
    
    
  • Brändle, L., Neff, K., Zhao, E. (2025). Childhood Social Class Shapes Entrepreneurial Success in Adulthood. Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange.
    
    
  • Kreiner, G. E., Cannon, D., Rapp, D. J., Williams, T. A., & Wiseman, J. (2026). Community weaving to address societal grand challenges: The case of mental health destigmatization. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001400

Some notable conference presentations:

• Hughey, J. M., Rapp, D. J., Monnot, R. Cannon, D.O., & Kreiner, G. E. (2025). Fit or Misfit? Toward a Theory of Entrepreneurial Identification [Paper presentation]. 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Copenhagen, HS, Denmark.
  • *Best Paper Award—Invited for publication in the 2025 Academy of Management Meeting Proceedings, an honor bestowed on the top 10% of accepted papers.
  • *Finalist for the Best Paper Award in Entrepreneurial Cognition
  • *Nominated for the Denny Gioia Award for Best Qualitative Paper
    
    
• Sullivan D. W., Wiegand, J. P., & Studer-Byrnes E. L. (August, 2026). Perceived fit in internships: Value alignment, organizational emphasis, and P-O fit. Presented at the 86th annual meeting of the Academy of Management. Philadelphia, PA.
  • *Best Paper Award, HR Division—Invited for publication in the 2026 Academy of Management Meeting Proceedings, an honor bestowed on the top 10% of accepted papers.
    
    
• Istipliler, B., Park, K. E., Abdelgawad, S. G., & Ahsan, M. (2026). From possibility to plausibility: How entrepreneurs’ orientation shapes artificial intelligence use in venture ideation. Presented at the 2026 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Birmingham, AL, USA.
  • *Selected as one of the Top 40 papers submitted to the 2026 BCERC (out of total 546 submissions); an abridged six-page version will be published in the 2026 edition of Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research: BCERC Proceedings (FER).
    

We look forward to an evolving year as we explore adding AI to our curriculum and welcome new faculty to our department. As always, we are committed to enthusiastic engagement with our students, alumni, faculty, advisory board members, and the community. Now, more than ever, we seek to emphasize the “human side of business” in the Management Department. 

Beth Chung, Ph.D.,
Professor and Department Chair