Potsdam Rotary Pres. Changeover & Awards Dinner

The Rotary Club of Potsdam will honor Clarkson University President Tony Collins as a Paul Harris Fellow at its annual dinner on Wednesday, June 1, at the Lobster House in Norwood.  Taylor Robertson will also be installed as Potsdam Rotary's 2022-2023 president at the event.

Collins will be honored as a Paul Harris Fellow for his demonstrated commitment to the goals and purposes of Rotary and "in appreciation of his tangible assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world."

All Rotarians; family, friends and colleagues of the honoree; and community members are invited to attend the dinner.

A social hour with hors d'oeuvres gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. A selection of eight entrees will be available to order at the dinner: prime rib, beef brisket, chicken pesto, chicken parmesan, haddock (broiled or fried), maritime platter (broiled shrimp scampi, fish filet, fried clams, and fried shrimp), vegetarian ravioli, or pasta primavera.

Tickets are available by advance purchase only for $40 per person. To pay online, click on "Donate" above, and select "Use this donation for Annual Dinner."

Or checks can be mailed to “Potsdam Rotary” at PO Box 912, Potsdam, NY 13676. (If you mail us a check, please email your RSVP to Robertson.Taylor.31@gmail.com, so we can get a guest count.)

All reservations must be received by Friday, May 27. Please call Taylor Robertson at 518-534-2863 with questions.

Collins' Paul Harris Fellowship is being made possible by a donation of points by Rotarian and Clarkson Class of 1953 alumnus and Robert Hanna.

"I have attended every Clarkson reunion but one since my 45th," says Hanna. " I have seen the build-up of the campus on the hill and it is impressive. I am also impressed with Tony’s friendship and his and Karen Collins' contribution to the community, Clarkson and Clarkson alumni, and New York State. He truly has served in the best interest of a lot of people in true Paul Harris tradition."

Collins, who has served as president of Clarkson since 2003, will step down as its 16th president in June.  A Clarkson faculty member since 1982, he has been a booster for economic development in the North Country and throughout New York State, and a national advocate for higher education.

Under Collins’ leadership, Clarkson’s Potsdam hill campus has been expanded both physically and in academic reach, while the downtown campus has been repurposed to advance interdisciplinary entrepreneurship, the recently added Lewis School of Health Sciences, and the economic revitalization of the Village of Potsdam. During Collins' tenure as president, student outcomes, including retention, graduation rate, placement in field of interest, starting salaries, and return on educational investment, have been outstanding.

Outside of Potsdam, Clarkson has expanded geographically in recent years, with new graduate and professional programs accessible at its Capital Region Campus in Schenectady and at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries on Dennings Point.

Collins is emeritus chair of the Association of Independent Technological Universities and New York’s Commission for Independent Colleges and Universities, and emeritus co-chair of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. He serves on the board of the Business Council of New York State, is president of the Seaway Private Equity Corporation, and has served on a number of New York State advisory task forces.

A native of Australia, Collins launched his Clarkson career in 1982, progressing from assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering to full professor, department chair, dean, vice president for academic affairs, and provost.