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Our Mission, Vision & Values
Vision
The Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship will positively impact its local and global stakeholders through the discovery, integration, application, and teaching of business-focused knowledge addressing the critical needs of society.
Mission
The Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship promotes student success and serves as a catalyst for innovation, knowledge discovery, and economic development in South Texas, Northern Mexico, and beyond. We do so by offering relevant academic programs, committing to impactful research, and fostering community engagement and sustainable partnerships in a way that supports the university’s mission.
Core Values
Our Commitment to Excellence
- Invest in our students’ success by offering high quality and relevant academic programs.
Our Dedication to Thought Leadership
- Promote rigorous and high-impact scholarship.
- Improve the academic reputation of our college through impactful engagement with the scholarly community.
Our Passion for Empowerment and Impact
- Empower and support our students, faculty, and staff to make a difference in their communities through high impact teaching and learning practices.
Our Role as Agents of Transformation
- Cherish and support our positive role in the economic transformation of the Rio Grande Valley.
Strategic Plan
Developed through a collaborative process involving faculty leadership, institutional data, stakeholder input, and benchmarking against peer institutions, the strategic plan outlines five strategic goals that will guide decision-making, resource allocation, and continuous improvement across the college. The plan reflects RCVCOBE's vision of serving as a catalyst for innovation, knowledge discovery, workforce development, and economic growth in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.
Strategic Plan Phase II Scorecard
Strategic Goal #1: Invest in Student Success
RCVCOBE invests in student success by strengthening access, engagement, progression, career readiness, and graduate outcomes across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs.
Building on Phase I—particularly collaborative advising, high-impact co-curricular experiences, and the VOICE—Phase II emphasizes integrated pipelines, measurable engagement, and career- and research-ready graduates. Central to this effort is the expanded role of the VOICE as the coordinating platform for student engagement and experiential learning, and the integration of AI-enabled tools to enhance learning, support, and academic progression.
Strategic Intent: Strengthen and sustain a high-quality pipeline of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students through coordinated recruitment, targeted outreach, and aligned marketing efforts.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Sustained enrollment strength across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs through
targeted outreach and pipeline development. - Coordinated recruitment efforts implemented across programs in collaboration with UTRGV
Strategic Enrollment.
Dashboard
Strategic Intent: Promote structured engagement, early intervention, and instructional quality to support persistence and timely degree completion.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- AI-enabled approaches are incorporated into curricular and co-curricular environments to enhance engagement and academic success.
- Co-curricular participation is systematically documented and aligned with student success outcomes.
- Undergraduate retention and graduation rates meet or exceed institutional benchmarks.
Dashboard:
Strategic Intent: Prepare students for professional, entrepreneurial, and academic pathways while strengthening systems to document post-graduation impact.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Systems are in place to track undergraduate and graduate job placements and alumni outcomes.
- Student participation in career-connected, global, and experiential learning opportunities increases.
- Entrepreneurial activity among students and alumni is documented.
Dashboard:
Strategic Intent: Strengthen doctoral student recruitment, training, research productivity, and placement outcomes through integrated funding, mentoring, and professional preparation.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Increased placement of PhD graduates in tenure-track positions, including R1 and R2 institutions.
- Increased doctoral student research productivity, including publications and conference participation.
- Improved financial support structures for doctoral students.
Dashboard:
Strategic Goal #2: Elevate Academic Reputation of the College
RCVCOBE advances research excellence and scholarly impact as foundational drivers of its academic reputation, doctoral strength, and long-term institutional standing.
Building on Phase I progress—including strengthened research policies, adoption of the ABS+ journal framework, and improved doctoral outcomes—Phase II emphasizes sustaining research quality while enhancing visibility, leadership, and societal impact. These efforts are supported by improved research intelligence systems and emerging technologies to enhance research productivity and dissemination.
Strategic Intent: Sustain high-quality scholarly production aligned with disciplinary standards and peer benchmarks.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Consistent production of scholarly publications in recognized high-quality outlets across all academic departments.
- Faculty research output reflects continuity and alignment with established evaluation standards.
- Faculty evaluation and workload policies remain aligned with sustained research productivity.
Dashboard:
Strategic Intent: Increase the visibility, influence, and measurable impact of faculty scholarship.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Sustained citation activity and multi-year scholarly influence across faculty publications.
- Citation performance remains comparable to or stronger than peer institutions.
- Research outputs and impact are systematically monitored and reported.
Strategic Intent: Strengthen faculty leadership within the scholarly community while integrating doctoral students into research and professional engagement.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Faculty maintain active roles in editorial boards, academic conferences, and professional associations.
- Doctoral students are actively engaged in research through co-authorship and conference participation.
- Professional and industry engagement contributes to scholarly leadership and visibility.
Strategic Intent: Strengthen the doctoral pipeline from recruitment through placement by enhancing funding, mentoring, and research development.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Doctoral recruitment reflects improved competitiveness and alignment with research priorities.
- Doctoral student research productivity increases.
- Doctoral completion and placement outcomes demonstrate sustained strength.
Strategic Intent: Align research activities with priority societal impact areas and demonstrate relevance beyond academic audiences.
Measures of Successful Outcomes:
- Faculty research and center activities align with priority areas of economic growth and health and well-being.
- Scholarship demonstrates contribution to business practice, policy, workforce development, or community outcomes.
- Research impact narratives are documented and communicated.
Strategic Goal #3: Advance Academic Excellence and Relevance
RCVCOBE advances academic excellence by leveraging established governance, curriculum management, and Assurance of Learning systems to strengthen program distinction, workforce relevance, and measurable societal impact.
Building on Phase I program development and pathway expansion, Phase II emphasizes curricular refinement, vertical coherence, experiential depth, and disciplined external positioning. Academic offerings remain aligned with the College’s priority societal impact areas and evolving workforce needs.
Strategic Intent
Leverage curriculum governance and Assurance of Learning processes to sustain program distinction, responsiveness, and alignment with regional and societal priorities.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Programs engage in regular review cycles incorporating enrollment trends, progression data, employer and alumni feedback, and labor market intelligence.
- Curricula demonstrate periodic updates aligned with emerging competencies and stakeholder input.
- Assurance of Learning processes generate evidence that informs measurable improvements in student learning outcomes.
- Programs clearly demonstrate contributions to workforce readiness and societal impact through documented outcomes.
Dashboard
RCVCOBE uses systematic curriculum review and Assurance of Learning (AoL) to maintain
relevant, rigorous academic programs and continuously improve student learning. This
dashboard highlights evidence of program assessment, achievement of student learning
outcomes, and actions taken to strengthen academic quality.
Current Degree Programs
18
College degree portfolio, including two programs launched in Fall 2025
AY24-25 Programs Assessed
16
Degree programs completing annual assessment during the reporting year
SLO Assessments
50
Program-level learning outcomes evaluated during AY 2024–2025
Learning Outcomes Meeting Target
46
92% of assessed learning outcomes met established performance expectations
Measures Reviewed
104
Direct and indirect measures used to evaluate student learning
SLOs with Direct Evidence
49
98% of assessed outcomes included direct evidence of student learning
Learning Outcomes with Improvements
49
98% of assessed outcomes resulted in documented actions or opportunities for continued improvement
Two-Year Improvement Reports Complete
16
87.5% of AY 2024–2025 assessed degree programs documented follow-up on prior assessment findings
025-2029 Comprehensive Assessment Plans Available
18
Programs with documented forward-looking assessment plans for the next assessment cycle
Strategic Intent
Strengthen academic coherence across degree levels to support efficient progression, graduate preparation, and long-term professional impact.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Undergraduate-to-master’s pathways demonstrate improved utilization and progression outcomes.
- Internal progression rates from undergraduate to graduate programs are tracked and inform pathway refinement.
- Time-to-degree and credit efficiency within accelerated pathways show measurable improvement.
- Targeted master’s programs demonstrate alignment with doctoral preparation where appropriate.
Dashboard
Strategic Intent
Enhance student preparedness through embedded applied learning and sustained global integration aligned with program outcomes.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Programs incorporate structured experiential or applied learning components aligned with industry and community engagement.
- Student participation in internships, applied projects, competitions, consulting, or research experiences is tracked and reported.
- International partnerships demonstrate academic relevance and sustainability.
- Participation in globally focused learning experiences aligns with curricular objectives.
Strategic Intent
Strengthen the quality, infrastructure, and positioning of graduate and doctoral programs to enhance outcomes, visibility, and impact.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Graduate enrollment, progression, and placement outcomes are monitored through standardized systems.
- Graduate and doctoral placements reflect competitive positioning and professional impact.
- Rankings submissions and benchmarking data are accurate and consistently maintained.
- Graduate and doctoral activities contribute to research visibility and societal impact priorities.
Strategic Goal #4: Strengthen Financial Sustainability and Strategic Capacity
RCVCOBE strengthens its financial sustainability and resource stewardship to support academic excellence, research impact, student success, and long-term institutional resilience.
Phase II emphasizes diversified revenue streams, disciplined reinvestment in priority areas, and growth in endowment and external funding to ensure sustained institutional capacity.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Endowment and endowed funds demonstrate sustained growth.
- Endowment proceeds increasingly support scholarships, faculty excellence, and research initiatives.
- Philanthropic activities reflect alignment with program priorities and societal impact areas.
Dashboard
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Operating budget demonstrates steady growth supported by enrollment and program performance.
- Revenue streams reflect diversification across tuition, philanthropy, and external funding.
- Financial planning incorporates risk mitigation and contingency considerations.
- Resource allocation reflects defined priorities.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Dedicated funding supports research productivity and faculty development.
- External funding demonstrates sustained growth relative to peer benchmarks.
- Funded research represents a meaningful proportion of faculty-related investment.
- Grant activity reflects an active and sustained research culture.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Administrative and staff support capacity aligns with program scale.
- Budget decisions are documented and linked to measurable outcomes.
- Financial monitoring tools support leadership decision-making.
- Strategic investments are periodically assessed for effectiveness.
Strategic Goal #5: Create Economic Development Opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley
We will conduct focus groups and surveys to identify the needs and priorities of local and regional economic development partners and continue promoting our Center for Innovation and Commercialization. To make this a sustainable goal, we will develop a systematic process to document RCV team’s engagement in economic development. We know motivation is a key factor to accomplish these goals, and we will reward and support our successful entrepreneurs and MSMEs leaders, especially those embedded in the curriculum (e.g., sustainability-focused, experiential/community-engaged scholarship projects, faculty consulting etc.)
Strategic Intent: Strengthen the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and applied business skills through curricular and co-curricular experiences.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Student participation in entrepreneurship-related programs, competitions, and experiential learning activities increases.
- Entrepreneurship and applied learning are integrated across academic programs.
- Student outcomes reflect engagement in venture development, applied projects, and career readiness.
Dashboard
Strategic Intent: Enhance workforce readiness through applied, community-engaged, and industry-connected learning experiences.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Student participation in applied and community-engaged learning experiences increases.
- Faculty-supervised projects address regional business and societal challenges.
- Experiential learning activities demonstrate alignment with workforce needs.
Strategic Intent: Generate and disseminate applied research that informs regional economic, workforce, and industry development.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Applied research outputs address regional economic and industry issues.
- Research findings are disseminated through presentations, reports, and stakeholder engagement.
- Research contributes to university-led and partner-led initiatives.
Strategic Intent: Contribute to regional engagement through coordinated participation in university-led and partner-driven initiatives.
Measures of Successful Outcomes
- Participation in collaborative initiatives with local, regional, and cross-border partners is sustained.
- Stakeholder engagement activities are supported through participation or co-hosting.
- Coordination with GCR and other university units ensures alignment in external engagement efforts.