3/9/26

By: FHSU University Communications

HAYS, Kan. - The Robbins Banking Institute at Fort Hays State University hosted its third annual lecture series event on Feb. 24, with a panel of three prominent Kansas bankers: Kurt Knutson, Earl McVicker, and Leonard Wolfe. Kansas Bankers Association members and the FHSU community were on hand to make connections and learn more about banking opportunities.

Other speakers during the morning’s event included Dr. Melissa Hunsicker-Walburn, Dean of the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship at FHSU; W.R. Robbins, namesake of the Robbins Banking Institute at FHSU and CEO of Farmers Bank and Trust; Dale Winklepleck, Robbins Banking Institute Advisory Council Chairman; and Lawson Bailey, a senior at FHSU majoring in finance with a banking concentration.

“At Fort Hays State University, we believe business education should be practical, principled, and purposeful,” Hunsicker-Walburn said. “Banking, in particular, sits at the center of community and economic vitality.”

“Our local banks finance small businesses, support agricultural producers, help families purchase homes, and serve as trusted advisors during times of growth and times of challenge.”

The three panel members, each of whom started their own bank in Kansas, discussed leadership, vision, and the future of community banking.

“The biggest job that a bank’s CEO has is to be the keeper of the culture,” Knutson said. “If you can hire and try to find shared values and beliefs, and continually remind people what those shared values, attitudes, and beliefs are, that will provide consistency to your customers, and that is what your customers want.”

“They want to know that what they get every day is the same thing they are expecting.”

McVicker pointed out that it is important for individuals who choose banking as a career to look to the future.

“You have to have a vision,” he said. “To get that, you have to have a plan.”

Sharing the insight of professionals with approximately 150 years of banking experience was impactful for Lawson Bailey, who served as co-moderator for the event.

“What I found the most valuable was when the panel members talked about the sacrifice it took to get where they are,” he said. “And being in front of the audience gave me the ability to see the attention everyone was giving them. Everyone there was willing to learn.”

The Robbins Banking Institute, the first banking institute in Kansas, launched in 2017. With close ties to the Kansas Bankers Association and the Kansas banking community, the institute, founded by W.R. Robbins and his late wife Yvonne, offers a quality education that culminates in completing a real-world banking simulation as part of its banking capstone course.

In his opening remarks, Robbins discussed his role in creating the Robbins Banking Institute.

Not long after the institute was established, Robbins knew it needed an industry partner. An agreement was formed with the Kansas Bankers Association. An advisory council comprising KBA members, FHSU faculty, and bankers provides direction to the banking institute.

A unique aspect of the Robbins Banking Institute is its availability not only as an on-campus program but also entirely online for place-bound students, including banking professionals who seek additional education to compete for job promotions.

The Robbins Banking Institute is part of FHSU’s Department of Economics, Finance, and Accounting. The department is one of four in the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Offering BBA degrees and minors in accounting, finance, and international business and economics, the department also provides certificate programs.

Learn more about the Robbins Banking Institute, at www.fhsu.edu/efa/Robbins-Banking-Institute/

For additional news and information about Fort Hays State University, go to www.fhsu.edu/university-communications/