Dawley appointed new director of B&E’s Robbins Center

The Robbins Center for Global Business and Strategy has been one of the “best kept secrets” at B&E for its three years of existence. 

“Not for long,” said David Dawley, associate professor of management and industrial relations, and the new director for the Robbins Center. “I’m here to make sure of that.”

The Robbins Center was created from a generous $2 million contribution by Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins, and aims to raise the global awareness and possibilities of students and faculty for international exchanges and faculty research collaboration. The center, which operates within the College of Business and Economics, also provides benefits for students and faculty to help WVU become an emerging market university of choice among G20 countries.

Dawley, who earned the 2015 Outstanding MBA Faculty Award by B&E, was appointed as the first permanent director of the Robbins Center to create awareness among students and faculty of exchange and global research grant opportunities available to the College. Prior to his recent appointment on October 1, the Dean’s Office at B&E managed the center.

The Robbins Center has offered partial funding for travel each year to 60 graduate students, as well as approximately 20 undergraduate students for global exchange opportunities.

Dawley outlined the priorities of the Center, which include:

• student exchanges, identifying and profiling six strong programs for undergraduates, supporting the introduction of studying abroad to B&E freshmen and communicating the study abroad opportunities in the College;
• globalization of curriculum, developing a speaker series on international topics and incorporating international current events into B&E course content; and
• research collaboration, providing supplemental funding for activities with international partners at AACSB-accredited schools in G20 countries.

It is no surprise that Dawley, who has taught every international business course offered by B&E since 2000, has been appointed to this position. With a busy travel schedule from now until the summer of 2016, Dawley plans to establish new partnerships and grow those currently existing with other universities in G20 countries as he travels to South Africa, Brazil, Australia and various parts of Europe in the near future. He will also accompany MBA students on the program’s annual trip to China for 12 days over spring break.

Aside from his travel and maintaining the many Executive MBA, MBA and Ph.D. online courses he currently teaches, Dawley will put in many more hours a week with the new role — meeting with advisors, visiting B&E classrooms, acting as a clearing house for global exchange/research grants and more, he said.

“Our first job is really getting the word out there and finishing our strategic plan by the end of October, and to follow through on our mission of supporting education, research and outreach initiatives related to global business,” he said. “From then on, it’s executing the plan and seeing what the future holds for the center.”