Mission and Goals
Mission:
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Fort Hays State University Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship (RCOBE) characterizes itself as an organization continually innovating to improve the quality and strategic scope of its activities. Its own culture and activities are entrepreneurial. It provides entrepreneurship programming and curricular offerings to supplement both business and non-business degrees.
Instructional Engagement
Inspired by the university tag line, "Forward Thinking, World Ready," RCOBE provides teaching excellence at the undergraduate and master's educational levels. In addition, RCOBE offers executive and professional development. It provides these services in both face-to-face and distance learning environments. Faculty are passionate about teaching and are proud of connecting with students.
Our faculty members teach students through both established and innovative techniques in classrooms, labs, internships/coops, and distance learning. They do so in classes small enough to encourage faculty/student interaction. Faculty members engage students through service learning, and co-curricular activities such as student organizations, learning communities, competitions, study abroad programs, and one-on-one interactions, including regular office hours, as well as undergraduate and graduate research.
Instruction is provided primarily by full-time faculty using technology-rich campus facilities and distance learning tools. Teaching excellence is achieved through deployment of qualified faculty members who bring their initial expertise as well as on-going scholarly and professional experiences to instruction.
Research and Practice
RCOBE faculty are active scholars and practitioners. Research and professional activities are key to maintaining faculty currency. They add greater value to student instruction and benefit the larger community. The types of activities that faculty members engage in depend on their responsibilities and focus. The college encourages its faculty to perform a variety of types of scholarship including basic or discovery, applied, and scholarship of teaching and learning. Faculty members - particularly instructional practitioners and practice academics, may engage in professional practice as a means of maintaining currency and relevancy. The college's faculty perform research within the context and resources of a primarily teaching institution. In particular, research relevant to entrepreneurship, industries of the Great Plains, international business, and technology provides impact aligned with the college's mission.
Service and Community Engagement
Through their areas of expertise, RCOBE faculty members provide service to the university, their disciplines, and the greater community.
The college and university offer several programs serving the academic and professional community as well as contributing to economic development. These include, but are not limited to: the Fort Hays State University Management Development Center, Fort Hays State University Small Business Development Center, Center for Economic Education, the Information Enterprise Institute, the Dane G. Hansen Scholarship Hall, Symposium of International & Interdisciplinary Research and the Journal of International & Interdisciplinary Research.
Service Area and Student Populations
Kansas and the surrounding states are the primary target markets for the college's on-campus education while off-campus or virtual students are served worldwide. This recognizes the mission driven approach to serving the residents of the institution's large, but lightly populated geographic Great Plains service area. It also takes a market smart approach, serving vital key constituencies such as members of the U.S. military, domestic distance learning students from across America, and complementary international markets with the college's programs. A substantial portion of the university's domestic and international registration consists of first generation students.