Iowa Ledger (2022) - Tippie College of Business

The evening of Dan Collins’ retirement party, the Professional
Accounting Council (PAC) and a few extra guests toasted to his
long and accomplished career. Of note, not one of the speakers
relied on Collins’ numerous awards as proof of greatness.
There was hardly a mention of his Hancher-Finkbine Faculty
Medallion, FARS Lifetime Achievement Award, multiple teaching
and mentorship awards from Tippie, nor his being named the
Outstanding Accounting Alumnus of 2022.
Instead, there were stories.
He lent a hand at a new faculty member’s house when their
basement flooded. He was such a handsome and well-dressed
young professor. He took the time to make copious notes on
Ph.D. students’ papers—enough to fill all the margins. He talked
over Zoom to a student struggling through their first semester of
accounting, after which they referred to him as “that dear
Dan Collins.”
And it was fitting. His legacy is so much more than any
trophy case could hold.
It’s hard to overstate his influence in the college. At the Tippie
College of Business, Collins is ever-present, even though he now
only occasionally stops by his emeritus faculty office. To fully
convey his impact, we would need more space than this—or any
other—magazine allows, so we’ll concentrate on three important
programs that either wouldn’t exist or wouldn’t be the same
without his advocacy and involvement.
EVERYONE
HAS A
DAN STORY
“
I was a student of Professor
Collins in the 70s, early in his
career. Over 40 years later, I
recall those classes as among
the most challenging of my
higher education. I also recall
Professor Collins as one of the
best teachers.”
— JONATHAN H. BOGAARD
(BBA78/MAc81/JD81)
Bogaard Law, LLC
“
I got to know Dan very well when he
was in the MAc program and I was in
the PhD program way back in 1967.
Dan, myself, and another Ph.D. student,
Fred Sterling, started jogging together
to keep fit. All three of us were quite
pleased with our running progress. The
interesting thing about Dan’s running
at that time was that, unlike Fred and
I who ran in typical running shoes,
Dan ran in combat boots and still set
the pace for us. Dan always excelled in
everything he did.”
Dan was [my late husband]
“
John Phillips (PhD99)’s
chair. John worshipped the
ground Dan walked on.”
— AMY DUNBAR
Former Tippie Professor
— GARY HOLSTRUM (PhD70)