Vision, Mission and Values

Our Vision

Our vision is to positively impact local and global communities through continued excellence in business and economics education, intellectual leadership and service.

Our Mission

The College of Business and Economics (COBE) at Boise State University creates societal impact by:

• inspiring purpose,
• growing people,
• creating knowledge and
• powering innovation.

We demonstrate our commitment to positively impacting society and to being a premier destination through these four efforts. We are a college of business that is highly connected to, supportive of, and supported by, the business community. We explain this mission in the context of Boise State University being a large research-intensive institution whose student-centered approach, and culture of caring, inclusion, approachability, and compassion extends among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters in the manner of a much smaller university.

COBE Inspires Purpose

The culture of COBE is built on values of relevance, respect and responsibility. We enjoy what we do, the people we work with and our sense of purpose. As part of our special vibe, we welcome each other, support each other and celebrate achievements. Together we volunteer to support our community. We appreciate being part of “the most livable city in America” with its cultural and recreational attributes and we strive to maintain its livability. We have a societal impact through the purpose COBE instills in all our people.

COBE Grows People

We commit to the growth of students, faculty and staff by engaging in relevant and rigorous academic, social and professional development. We are dedicated to supporting people at all points of their career with a focus on continuous improvement. We contribute to the life-long learning of the business community. We commit to continual innovation and flexible adaptation in our teaching and learning. We welcome and support everyone, including all students, faculty and staff. As a result, our people have a societal impact within and especially outside the university.

COBE Creates Knowledge

Our faculty, graduate and undergraduate students create knowledge. We create and disseminate intellectual contributions to business and economic theory, practice and pedagogy. We encourage and reward faculty in all research endeavors (e.g., basic, applied, teaching or learning scholarship) that may be conducted and disseminated with a singular or pluralistic disciplinary focus. Through research we actively seek to have a societal impact. We benefit in this effort by being located in one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the United States, collaborating with established corporate, health-care, nonprofit and government institutions and an exciting new business start-up ecosystem.

COBE Powers Innovation

We power innovation across the university, Treasure Valley, Idaho, and beyond by preparing graduates, taking on research challenges, collaborating with others, providing thought leadership and through COBE’s direct outreach. Examples of outreach supporting business include the Idaho Small Business Development Center and TechHelp. We, like the larger university, are proud of our “Blue Turf” innovative thinking and problem solving with a willingness to be unconventional. Our societal impact supports the economic health and vibrancy of communities.

Our Values

We embrace our mission with these values:

• Relevance — We address important business and societal issues by being effective, innovative and risk-tolerant. Our effectiveness is based on rigorous teaching and research and a commitment to lifelong learning and community engagement.
• Respect — We strive to be a collegial community that values equal treatment. We are committed to integrity and ethical behavior in all that we do.
• Responsibility — We foster an environment that empowers students, staff and faculty to act responsibly. We are dedicated to accountability, transparency and fairness. We aspire to be good stewards of resources at the local, regional and global scale.