A Tribute to Dr. Bob Collins: Honoring a Founding Trustee

Collin College wouldn’t be what it is today without Dr. J. Robert Collins. This distinguished Board of Trustee member created a new legacy for the Collin County community on April 6, 1985 —the day of the college’s inception — and the same day he took up the mantle to serve at its helm as a founding Board of Trustees member.

“It takes a visionary to create a pathway for success from day one through four decades into the future,” said Dr. Neil Matkin, Collin College district president. “That is why it is simply not possible to talk about the history of Collin College without mentioning Dr. Collins’ guiding influence and countless hours of unwavering dedication.” 

A resident of Farmersville, Dr. Collins has served the college on numerous committees and in officer roles, including Board of Trustees chair. He was elected to Place 8 and is chair of the Organization, Education, and Policy Committee. He worked at a Fortune 500 defense electronics company for more than 30 years. His rise through the company culminated in his role as a vice president and officer of the company. He transitioned to higher education when he joined Texas A&M University as a faculty member and served in several roles. Dr. Collins’ dedication to his community has been evident for many years, most notably as city council member and mayor pro tem of the City of Plano. He has also served on several boards, won numerous awards, and has been honored by many organizations.

“We knew there was going to be growth in the county,” Dr. Collins said. “One characteristic of our Board is that we try to stay ahead of the trends, particularly of population growth. Probably the smartest thing we did was to get organized quickly and to identify the fact that we would have major campuses in Plano, McKinney, and Frisco.”

When Dr. Collins thinks about the history of the college, 10 locations in Allen, Celina, Farmersville, Frisco, McKinney, Plano, and Wylie, plus the iCollin Virtual Campus, and more than 200 degrees, certificates, and transfer programs flash through his mind. But it isn’t long before he reflects on the behind-the-scenes activity, its leaders, its robust partnerships, and the many lives which the college has transformed.

“We have good relationships between our administration and economic leaders here in the county,” said Dr. Collins. “We focus our offerings on the needs of the county. Businesses recognize that we’re beneficial to them, and they support us very nicely. We also have good support in the educational community.” 

According to Dr. Collins, many people may not realize the college’s in-district tuition is only $67 per credit hour, including fees, and that they can earn certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees at this low tuition rate.

“We are working to keep one of the lowest tax rates in the state,” Dr. Collins said. “We’ve been able to save families a ton of money. To 
me, that’s probably one of the most important things we’ve done.”
Dual credit students earning associate degrees before their high school graduations is also high on his list of the college’s achievements. But Dr. Collins cannot describe this higher education institution without mentioning the employees. 

“What I love the most are the people that we have at the college,” Dr. Collins said. “We’ve never had a problem hiring high-quality presidents. We’ve only had three presidents in our history, and we have the greatest group of people you’ve ever seen in terms of dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators. Collin College is really an amazing place where we transform lives. I am so proud of how far this college has come over the last 40 years, and I cannot wait 
to see what is coming next.”