John and Kim Named Recipients of 2022 Chambliss Faculty Research Awards

Dr. Mauricia John, anthropology and sociology, and Dr. Yongjae Kim, sport management and leadership studies, have been awarded Kutztown University's 2022 Chambliss Faculty Research Awards for their extraordinary research and scholarship endeavors. The awards were presented during the university's Faculty and Staff Convocation and Celebration Friday, Aug. 26.

John began her career at KU in 2012 and currently serves as professor of sociology. She is a devoted researcher with particular interest in investigating the assimilation patterns of Caribbean immigrants in the U.S. Most notably, John’s work examines the assimilation patterns of Cuban and Afro-Caribbean immigrants educationally, politically, linguistically and culturally. She further sheds light on the racial and ethnic transformation of Caribbean immigrants cross-nationally.

Recently, John has extended her research to include a comparative analysis of Cuban and Haitian immigrants with an emphasis on assimilation and transnationalism. In addition to focusing on contemporary patterns of migration, John also analyzes forced migration in the Caribbean region. Her most recent publications have highlighted human trafficking and the Venezuelan economic and migrant crisis, which have both increased vulnerability and exacerbated poverty predominantly among women and children in the Caribbean.

“Research and scholarship directly guide my teaching,” John said. “Students are always energized and excited to learn about my experiences with various migrant communities and how migration and assimilation patterns often intertwine to create unique experiences for immigrant populations.”

Kim is a professor of sport management and serves as the executive director of the KU Sport Business Institute, where he has worked with many professional sport teams in the United States and globally. Kim is also a nationally and internationally renowned researcher and scholar, who has contributed to advancing the body of knowledge in the sport management field.

A substantial record of quality research is found evident since he started his career at Kutztown University in 2009. Since then, he has accumulated more than 50 publications in top-tiered, peer-reviewed sport management and marketing journals, book chapters and technical reports. Additionally, he has delivered an extensive number of presentations at prestigious venues such as North American Society for Sport Management.

Kim’s endeavors in the sport academic arena have earned him recognition at numerous prestigious outlets. His article entitled “Effectiveness of In-Game Advertisement: Repetition Effect of Sport Video Gaming on Brand Awareness, Attitude, and Purchase Intention” received the 2017 Journal of Global Sport Management (JGSM) Best Paper Award. In 2018, Kim earned the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Research Fellow Award, one of the highest honors in the sport management field as it recognizes select scholars who have established a continuous and high-quality record of scholarship. Additionally, he was the recipient of the 2019 COSMA Outstanding Faculty Award (Master Professor), bestowed to individuals who have demonstrated their profession by exemplary performance in teaching, research and service.

Currently, Kim serves on numerous journal editorial boards and as a reviewer. Internally, further acknowledgement of the outstanding nature of his research, Kim is a three-time winner of the KU College of Business Excellence in Research Award. Most recently, Kim was awarded the 2022 Faculty Mentorship Award from the KU Undergraduate Research and Creativity Faculty Advisory Board and the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects. This honor recognizes excellence in faculty engagement with undergraduate researchers.

Another remarkable stride Kim has made concerning research is the establishment of the Kutztown University Sport Business Institute (KUSBI). Having expertise in marketing research, Kim founded KUSBI in 2011. He has conducted research and developed technical reports for the local sport businesses, including but not limited to, Reading Royals, Reading Fightin’ Phils and Lehigh Valley Steel Hawks. This initiative started with Kim’s vision to provide consulting/research services to sport industry entities, while enhancing sport management student’s educational experience by promoting undergraduate research. As a result of collaborative research with his colleagues, he has secured both project and research grants, totaling more than $300,000 from a variety of sport organizations: National Research Foundation of Korea for research on social and economic impacts of mega sporting events; Korea Sports Promotion Foundation for organizing the 2011 US Sport Industry Forum and the 2012 Global Sport Business Leadership Program.

Recently, Kim has pursued research in the neuromarketing field and has taken immediate steps to provide the kind of research infrastructure necessary to advance faculty-student research in neuroscience. He successfully secured a grant from the Kutztown University Foundation, with the purpose of creating a neuromarketing lab on campus, while also obtaining funding from the Kutztown Research Committee which enables him to engage in continuous research utilizing eye-tracking and facial expression tools to examine how different emotional appeals affect one’s emotional and behavioral responses.

The Chambliss Faculty Research Award, inaugurated in 2004 through a gift from Dr. Carlson R. Chambliss, professor emeriti of physical science, is meant to recognize the very highest achievement in research and scholarship and can be awarded only once within a person's career.