Retiring founding trustee Robert \u201cBob\u201d\u00a0 Collins poses with his\u00a0 grandson Owen Collins, wife Claude Ann and Rep. Jeff Leach. Courtesy Collin College<\/p>\n
After helping guide Collin College from a fledgling institution offering classes in area high schools to a system serving more than 60,000 students annually, founding trustee Robert \u201cBob\u201d Collins is stepping away after 41 years on the board.<\/p>\n
Collins, a Farmersville resident, officially retired following the college\u2019s May commencement ceremonies, ending one of the longest tenures by a community college trustee in Texas.<\/p>\n
His final commencement carried special significance. Among the graduates crossing the stage was his grandson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always believed Collin County deserved a college that could grow with the community and provide opportunities for generations of students,\u201d Collins said in a statement released by the college. \u201cWatching my grandson graduate from Collin College during my final commencement ceremony made this moment especially meaningful for my family and for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back, Collins said one accomplishment stands above the rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess the thing I\u2019m most proud of is that we\u2019re able to pretty well cover the whole county with campuses,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s been a goal of mine since the very beginning. We did not want to become a Plano College or a McKinney College. We wanted to be Collin County College.\u201d<\/p>\n
That vision helped shape the college\u2019s growth over four decades. Today, Collin College operates 10 campuses and centers across seven cities, along with its iCollin Virtual Campus and more than 200 degree and certificate programs.<\/p>\n
While Collins said he could not have predicted exactly how large the college would become, he always expected Collin County\u2019s population boom would drive demand for higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a matter of fact, I had anticipated that,\u201d Collins said of the county\u2019s rapid growth. He added that East\u00a0Collin County is poised for significant expansion in coming years as transportation projects improve access to the area.<\/p>\n
Affordability remained a central focus throughout his tenure. Collins said the college has worked to maintain a low tax rate while continuing to expand educational opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been able to hold the tax rate pretty well constant for the entire time,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be able to pay for what you\u2019re going to provide. What I\u2019ve tried to emphasize is, don\u2019t spend money on stuff you don\u2019t need.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, Collins said quality has never been sacrificed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s emphasize quality \u2014 quality in our education, quality in our facilities as we develop them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Before joining the Collin College Board of Trustees, Collins spent more than 30 years with a Fortune 500 defense electronics company, eventually serving as a corporate vice president. He later taught and served as an administrator at Texas A&M University-Commerce for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n
His public service also included time on the Plano City Council, where he served as mayor pro tem. Collins said those experiences proved valuable during his years as a trustee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a pretty fair understanding of the relationship in the community, and what\u2019s needed and what\u2019s not needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Collins has also been a strong supporter of workforce training and dual-credit programs, noting that students who earn college credits while in high school can provide significant savings for their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cA kid who does a dual credit program can save his family anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Collin College President Neil Matkin credited Collins with helping build the institution\u2019s foundation and expand opportunities for generations of students.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince its inception, Dr. Collins has helped shape the college into the institution it is today, creating a foundation for student success,\u201d Matkin said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Though retiring from the board, Collins said he has no plans to slow down completely. He remains active in his church and community and plans to continue supporting causes important to him.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on more than four decades of service, Collins said he leaves with gratitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really been a pleasure,\u201d he said. \u201cI enjoyed being on the board. I\u2019ve enjoyed the people we serve with, enjoyed having a great presence for the college. So, I suppose it\u2019s been a good deal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Retiring founding trustee Robert \u201cBob\u201d\u00a0 Collins poses with his\u00a0 grandson Owen Collins, wife Claude Ann and Rep. Jeff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[160,162,161],"class_list":["post-332319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}