August 23, 2019 – Dr. J. Robert Collins, Collin College Board of Trustees chairman, received the 2019 Trustee Leadership Award for the Western region from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT).
The award is based on a trustee member’s significant contributions to the community college concept and outstanding work in the Western region. A national award recipient will be announced during the annual ACCT Awards Gala on Oct. 18 in San Francisco, Calif. in conjunction with the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to serve Collin College since 1985 alongside talented individuals with great vision,” Collins said. “It is an honor to receive this award, and I want to thank my colleagues throughout the years for their continued support.”
Collin College District President Dr. Neil Matkin said Collins has been an advocate for the college and its success.
“We were thrilled to learn that Dr. Collins has received the 2019 Trustee Leadership Award,” Matkin said. “Throughout his many years of service on the board, he has dedicated countless hours to continually advocating for student success and institutional excellence.”
Collins has served as a member of the Collin College Board of Trustees for 34 years, beginning in 1985, and has been elected by the citizens of Collin County to serve through May 2021. During his tenure, Collins has served as vice chairman of the board for six years and as chairman for eight years.
Throughout Collins’ service as a trustee, he has fostered a visionary focus for the board. Notably, he spearheaded the establishment of a wide-area fiber network (WAN) dedicated to the college in 2002. As a result, the college now has a 58-mile WAN that connects all campuses and provides it with a stable, secure network. This innovation established the necessary state-of-the art infrastructure for the college’s academic and administrative systems and outstanding information technology curriculum.
Collins also worked tirelessly with fellow trustees to create the college’s recent master plan and maximize the college’s impact within its service area. As a result, the college moved forward with proposing a $600 million bond issue that the local voters approved in 2017.
Collin College serves more than 58,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. In addition, the college operates the Collin Higher Education Center, which has an enrollment of 3,500 each year in partnership with The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Texas A&M Commerce, Texas Tech and the University of North Texas.