Jim Collins
President, Loras College.
Jim Collins - Additional conversation
TH:
You've been at this job for a year and a half now. You've been involved in administration at Loras for more than 20 years. I'm interested in what you learned about the job of president that you didn't realize until you actually got into the office.JC: I think there are a couple of things. One is it's pretty overwhelming to know that now when decisions are made, they really rest in this office, save for a few that the Board of Regents make. So there's kind of this sense of accountability in a way that previous decisions didn't necessarily hold. I think the second is I'm used to a pretty hectic pace, especially with travel, but the pace now in this role is significantly greater, just because there are so many more ceremonial obligations, so many more constituency obligations. Travel is actually heightened to a greater degree than what it was in the past, so the pace is the second big challenge and difference. The thing that hasn't changed is how good faculty, staff, students, community and alumni. You'd think that in some cases there'd be a distance thing or a greater gravitation to judgment. At least, early on, that hasn't occurred. Folks have been awfully kind and very generous.
TH:
Do you think in many respects some of that has to do with, obviously, your history here? It wasn't too many years ago, things were a little tense between the president's office and the rest of the campus.JC: Oh, I think so. I'm pretty mindful of the fact that I wouldn't be in this position in a lot of ways if it weren't for some of the transition issues that we had to face as an institution. It's both the transitions that I think have allowed me to receive an awful lot of support and at the same time, it's the transitions that probably motivated me to serve in this role.
TH:
You worked for several years in fund-raising. "Institutional Advancement" is the fancy name for it?JC: That's right.
TH:
You had to go out and raise money. How is that aspect of the president's job the same? How is it different?JC: Well, I think it's changed now in that I am the primary individual responsible for asking for major gifts. That was a shared responsibility in my previous position with the president and with other development staff members. Now, frankly, it's a little more singularly focused. And it some ways, that makes it a little bit easier.
TH:
So, you're more involved with the top of the pyramid.JC: That's right. That's exactly right.
TH:
In terms of your day-to-day responsibility, how much interaction do you actually have with faculty or with students? And how do you, through the course of doing your job, maintain that contact?JC: I had two big fears coming into the position. One was I didn't want to fail. I think most people are motivated by that same notion. But the other was I was very worried about a role like this and the potential loss of contact with students that it might have. And I have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that I've actually had more contact with students, greater interaction with students. So that's been a real pleasant surprise. What I try and do is do that delicate balancing act. We have a terrific administrative team, all of whom have areas of oversight and I try and be respectful of that oversight by not getting involved in their day-to-day decision making. And I'm trying to be reminded of how I wanted it when I was vice president or assistant to the president. But at the same time, as a small campus whose ethos is really community and relationships, it's really important for me to interact with the faculty and the staff and the students.
TH:
You were a student at Loras not too many years ago.JC: I'm glad you said that.
TH:
I checked, and you're younger than me. How have students, college students and particularly Loras College students changed from the time you were an undergrad to the present day?JC: I think that in many ways, students are the same. I think the circumstances under which they come here are different. In many ways, they find themselves in a much more complex society. In many cases, a much more difficult family situation. Depending on the way in which you look at society at large, they perhaps have lesser number of role models to really pursue and hold in high esteem. And to that extent, I think they make some bigger mistakes. But I think it's a little bit polarized. I think on one hand, a good segment of our students are better than we've ever had them. Students who choose to be upstanding citizens, very active and vocal in their faith, who take behavior and academic accountability very seriously in a way that I don't think students of 20-25 years ago did. On the other end of the spectrum, there's a large sense of entitlement in students. Large baggage dependency that they come in here with. Some it relates to chemical dependency, some of it relates to the family situation. But when you look at the mass of our student body, still relatively the same. And in that way, we're not different than most other places of higher education throughout the country. Now, obviously, we have different types of students than say the University of Iowa might or other small or large privates, but on whole, still pretty much the same. I think too often - and I say this for our faculty and staff and I've been saying it for a long time - we expect more out of 18- to 22-year-olds than we expect out of faculty and staff or the community at large, all of whom are mostly educated and seemingly have a stronger sense of wherewithal to make good decisions. We have to be reminded that part of the educational experience - whether it's K-8 or in secondary school or at college - is a lear ning process. And the mistakes are part of that process. Our role as educators is to continue to inform students of those mistakes. Have the students understand the consequences of those mistakes. But more importantly, give them the tools to ensure that the same types of mistakes occurring in the future are lessened. And that becomes our role.
TH:
What is new on the academic front at Loras?JC: The last three years, Loras faculty ought to be applauded. They came together with near unanimous vote to absolutely change the overall curricular approach here at Loras. We have a new first-year class. We have a new general ed curriculum. It's thematically tied together from the first day in which you walk onto campus until the day in which you graduate. The notion is that interdisciplinary learning and liberal arts learning is very important, but they're relevant in today's society to the extent that you show the connections. So, as an example, on our Modes of Inquiry class, rather than formally teaching Intro to Speech and Intro to Logic and an Intro to Writing course, we now comprise the tenants of those three courses in one course that is topically driven. So in our MOI sections for first-year students, we have 20 different sections, 20 different topics, but within the conceptualization of these topics - you write, you speak and you think critically. So where you began at the beginning of a semester is much different, hopefully, by the end of the semester. We've had marvelous success. We've seen student retention actually improve over the last three years. We think a lot of that has to do with the change. We've been able to make these curricular changes by also having what is a hybrid technology initiative. There are 4,000 higher ed institutions in the country and only 200 are laptop or almost completely wireless. Loras is one of those places. And we're only one of three places in the state of Iowa. It's not just that our students have laptops. It's that the technology is immersed into the classroom experience. The best example I've come across, as I share with alumnae is we have a Management Information System class, computers, connect with Medieval History class. The Medieval History class, wanting to take advantage of what is a rich collection here of 16th century manuscripts and post it on a Web site. But these students don't have the aptitude to do that. The MIS doesn't have a sense of Medieval History or 16th century manuscripts, but these two classes came together, taught one another and now Loras, on its Web site has the largest repository in the world of 16th century manuscripts. That's a marvelous way of practical learning experience. That combines interdisciplinary liberal arts learning with the practicality of what you might do in the real world. As it relates to majors, the last few years, the most recent new major is Integrated Visual Arts, which is a hybrid combination of traditional art along with graphic design.
TH:
Concerning resources, and the tuition dollar: Year-after-year, college expenses for families continue to exceed the normal inflation rate and keep going up. Do you see a time when parents and family will just say, "Enough's enough. We can't do it. We're going to go to a regents school"?JC: Well, sure, to some extent, that's already happening. In 1960, 60 percent of all students who went to a college or university went to a private college or university. Today, only 18 percent of all students going to a college or university attend a private college or university.
TH:
Nationally?JC: Nationally. So the predisposition already and the migration has already moved from private higher education to public higher education. The biggest winner, for lack of a better terms in this change, has been the community college, particularly here in the state of Iowa. When you think in the state of Iowa that has 3 million in its population, 15 community colleges, three regent universities, 29 private four-year institutions, and then a new age of the for-profit private coming into the pictures, and then these wireless institutions. Something's got to give. Cost is the driving factor. What we in private education have done a lousy job of is articulating the merits of, one, a private higher education, principally founded in the fact that you graduate in four years. Secondly, is that we're much more affordable than what the sticker price and/or what we have been marketed as having been. The household income of a student attending Loras in each of the last five years is $10,000 less than the household l ess than the student attending a regent university. So we enroll needy students and needy families. Between federal, state and institutional support, we're very accessible. The problem is the first-year and second-year students in high school and their families oftentimes have already ruled out the reality of private higher education because they believe they'll be inaccessible. Even if a student were to come here and pay full freight, families need to be better educated about doing the math. The average public university is graduating students in 51/2 years. Places like Loras are graduating students in four years. Add the year and a half of cost to attend a public university and then correlate that with the job earning, minimal salary that you might have in that first year and a half, and it more than comes up to being average. We among the private institutions haven't done a good job of (communicating) that. That is not a negative (on the public institutions). The great thing about higher education is ther e's lots of choice. The problem with today's marketplace is students and families feel as if there isn't a choice. And there is a choice. Community colleges are a marvelous choice. Regent universities are a marvelous choice. Private colleges are a marvelous choice. We just want students to know that they should look at all three, come to determine by way of cost, but more importantly by way of quality, and more importantly than that, by way of fit. You should be making your decisions on institutions.
TH:
You sound like a finance major.JC: Yeah.
TH:
What is "full freight" now at Loras, and what is the average amount of financial aid a student does receive here?JC: Well, the tuition at Loras is $19,800 this year. The average student is paying about $10,000 toward that $19,800, so roughly half. About half of that discount comes through federal and state resources and the other half of that discount comes through Loras resources. The room, board and technology fee puts us at a total cost of $26,000. Roughly half of that, then, is then discounted - through federal, state or institutional resources. So if you play that our over four years, it's a pretty affordable situation for students. Again, we have to do a better job of getting that word out.
TH:
By the time this interview appears, you will have dedicated the new Rock Bowl Stadium. It's a nice facility and all, but what does that really mean for a campus and for student recruitment and for image?JC: It's exceedingly important. Not only in terms of enrollment, both new and returning students, but it you look at all the higher ed statistics, the No. 1 statistic pointing to why a student matriculates is, first, academic reputation and, second, facility upgrades and improvements. That being said, context and perspective is also important. As faculty and staff are getting used to hearing - and you are too, Brian - we began this journey of a pretty progressive strategic planning process about six years ago or so. So the curricular initiative and the Catholic identity initiatives were the most important. We've seen a lot of good things come from that. The Endowed Chair and Catholic Thought, The Kucera Center that serves the diocese and our student body. We've been able to revamp the curriculum. Add technology. Build the academic resource center. Add a new apartment complex. Renovate the old library into the hub for our education department. The next on these series of initiatives is the athletic and we llness upgrades. So the Rock Bowl is the first of the two-step process in the athletic and wellness facility upgrade. About 40 percent of our student body is comprised of students who participate in one of our 21 intercollegiate athletic sports. So because we so passionately believe in both the in-the-classroom and outside-the-classroom learning experience, supporting our student athletes becomes an important part. So that's why the Rock Bowl, in the larger realm, is very important. It shows demonstrable improvement in terms of our overall strategic planning process, but it also serves as another hub of support for the student learning experience as well.
TH:
A few family questions. How did you and your wife, Lisa, meet?JC: Through a connection. My brother-in-law is Brad Soderberg and he was head men's basketball coach when I was director of alumni here. On a night when we were gathered with a few other Loras folks, he said, "You know, Jim, you're single, traveling all the time, living here in Dubuque and you're from the Chicago area. How are you going to get hooked up?" I kidded him and said, "I could use all the help I could get." He says, "You know who would be perfect for you is my sister." His sister, Lisa, was working as a speech pathologist at the time in Chicago. I told him I'd go on the date to the extent I knew she would say yes because otherwise my pride would be hurt. All these guys would know if she said no. So he made the call, found out that she would say yes and the rest is history. So, it's been a great thing.
TH:
How long have you been married now?JC: Thirteen years.
TH:
I'm hearing that you don't have much spare time, but when you do have some moments at home or with family, what do you like to do?JC: Well, probably my favorite type of night is when we gather as a family for dinner and then get a movie or we have a few movies. Not surprisingly, "Cheaper by the Dozen" is one of them. But there's nothing better than sitting around as family, watching a movie, playing a game, having dinner together. So that's No. 1. Secondly, we live in what I think is the best neighborhood in the entire city and so we've got great neighbors and great friends, both related to Loras and unrelated to Loras that we love spending time with. I'm a simpleton. We don't need a whole lot of expensive or extravagant sorts of things. We just really enjoy doing that.
TH:
What's the toughest part of the job for you?JC: Personnel. I am so blessed to be in a community where we have so many extraordinarily talented faculty and staff. Most of whom are rightly focused and very skillful in their work. But there are always those times where good people who work here don't meet the standards, either of professionalism or of competence. And having to address that, especially when they're good people is awfully difficult. I don't think that I'm unique in that regard, but that's probably the biggest challenge and the part of the job that I wish I didn't have to contend with. But everything else, God has blessed me. This is a great job.
TH:
When this interview appears, it will be just a few days until homecoming weekend. I'll ask you to pull out the crystal ball and look ahead. When the students come back for homecoming in, say, 2020 or 2025, what do you want them to come back to campus and see?JC: I think most importantly, I want them to come back here with a sense of pride and knowledge that Loras, among a few other things, like family and God, impacted them significantly. And for them to know that means that they, in their own right, both in life and in vocation, will have defined themselves as a success in whatever you want to mean that. So it's first in the global perspective. When they come back to the campus, I want them to come back to a campus that is no longer just regionally acclaimed, but is nationally acclaimed, so when they come back here to the Loras campus in Dubuque, Iowa, they can say this is a place that a lot of other folks would aspire to have had a marvelous experience at. Then, from a physical plan perspective, I hope that we show more green space, more landscaping and the finest and best modern-day facilities we can offer. Keane Hall needs to renovated. The science facility needs to be addressed. The fieldhouse needs to be addressed. We need to provide a few more residential amenities. Hopefully from a physical perspective, all of that's done. But ultimately I hope they come back and they continue to see what is a community of scholars, a community of friends, a community that provides some of the same support of care and welcoming then as it did while they were here as students.