Farewell President Collins Archives - Page 10 of 23

Congratulations

Tom Brown ’75

Dear Tony and Karen —

Congratulations. Thank you so much for everything you both have done to make Clarkson so much better. It was my pleasure to see you on my (occasional) trips to Clarkson for Advisory council meetings. You have had a lasting impression on Clarkson, its students and faculty. The physical plant improvements and increased funding will have a lasting impact for years to come.

Enjoy your retirement, at least to the extent you can relax at all. You’ve both deserved it

Tom Brown

Good Luck

Bryan Greene ’04

Tony,

Congratulations on your retirement and thank you for everything you did for Clarkson. I still remember speaking at your inauguration. Best of luck and hope to see in the future.

Thanks,
Bryan

The Greatest Short Speech

Harry Dunn ’66

In 2018, near Situate,MA, a small group of Clarkson hockey alumni gathered to honor former coach, Len Ceglarski.

President Tony Collins quietly appeared and stayed in the background. After Lenny was presented a glorious picture of himself and perennial Trainer, Pinky Ryan, Tony stepped forward to deliver some words to the group. His entire speech: “THIS, IS A PICTURE OF LOVE.”

Amazing choice and so meaningful. Unforgettable.

Thanks for inspiring me

Mike Bissonette ‘

Tony and Karen, It has been such an honor for me to meet you two. I always enjoyed are chats at alumni events in CA and at the CU campus when back to NY visiting relatives in Malone.

Tony, I don’t believe you truly understand what it meant to me when you introduced me to the Beacon folks for consideration as an adjunct in the MS-EM curriculum — so I figure that this is a good time to let you know. Teaching the “Strategic Project Management” course (5 years now) led me to starting my own business, RTConfidence, Inc. The class interactions gave me insights into a SaaS (Software as a Service) product offering that I believe fills a significant void in the market. My team and I officially released our first product, Chrono, about a month ago. My team and I also stumbled upon an invention (or two) during this process. We were issued our first Patent on June 7, 2022. I decided to write and publish another book entitled “Achieving Epic Business Results with Strategic Project Management” in 2021, and CU has launched the Course and Badge Series I prepared and recorded on that subject, This puts me in a very nice place relative to my reputation as an established expert in the field. You got that ball rolling and I will always be grateful to you for that. Thanks so much, and may God abundantly bless you and your family. Bests always, Mike

Thank You from Vansh

Vansh Bataviya ’25

Thank you Tony for everything you have done for Clarkson.
Thank you Tony for making Clarkson a welcoming place for all and any around the world.
Thank you Tony for paving a foundation to future generations of Clarkson.

Thank you Tony!

Best wishes

Alan Christian ‘

Best wishes on your next adventure(s) Karen and Tony!

Sincerely

Alan Christian

Thank You

Gabriela McSwieney ‘

Good evening President Tony Collins and Karen Collins,

Though I have only known you both for only one year as it was your final year serving Clarkson and my first year as a college student, I can safely say that you both have touched the hearts and minds of the entire Clarkson community.

I remember being invited into your home along with the rest of the Society of Women Engineers and I will never forget how welcomed I felt. Your hospitality was beyond compare. It was a memory I most certainly will never forget.

Though this is the end of your era with Clarkson, a new one is just beginning and I wish you both the absolute best with what the future has in store for you.

Thank you for making Clarkson what it is. Future Presidents have some very big shoes to fill.

God bless,

Gabriela McSwieney

Sophomore

Treasurer Apprentice of SWE

Swimming and Diving Member

Thank you!

Career Center Team ‘

Thank you for all your support and dedication to our department over the years. Wishing you all the best as you embark on the next chapter of your journey.

Brunch with Tony

Victoria Villeneuve ’16

Our spring semester senior year my roommates and I hosted a brunch every Friday morning. We invited one friend each week with a printed invitation for fun. On our senior week, along with our friend who was an exchange student from Tony’s alma mater in Australia, we thought it would be fun to invite him. We thought there was no way he would accept, so we were delighted when he referred us to his assistant to add it to his schedule. Even more so when he actually showed up at our Woodstock! It’s an awesome story for us to tell and people are always surprised at our President’s willingness to connect. Come to think of it, we really shouldn’t have been that surprised ourselves! Tony always showed the Clarkson community how much he cared. Congratulations on a wonderful career and thank you to all you’ve given to the students!

Best Wishes and Thank You

Jamie Natour ’84

I would like to express my deep appreciation for the top-tier education I received at Clarkson. Your dedication and hard work has allowed me to achieve my life’s goals. I am very grateful for all your efforts through the years on behalf of the s students to ensure the level of education that contributed to our accomplishments and success. My very best wishes to you both.