Collins

Presently the Vice President of Financial Planning for General Dynamics Corporation, Randy M. Collins '78, points to University of Detroit Mercy as the cradle of his success. General Dynamics, a defense contractor with annual sales of $30 billion, is based in Falls Church, Virginia.

"In my current position I supervise the preparation of the company's financial forecast and conduct the financial analysis," he says.  "I also develop the valuation on all the companies we acquire, and support negotiations with the sellers."   Most likely, Collins' career path stems from his college economics studies.

A native of Allen Park, Collins attended Cabrini High School.  As a senior, he received a four-year Army Reserve Officer Training Corp scholarship to the school of his choice. For him, the decision was obvious. "I chose to go to University of Detroit because it had a reputation as a great school," Collins says. "My high school counselors also recommended it. I liked the small school campus environment that it has. I also liked being able to walk to all my classes after I parked, as I was a commuter."

Though Collins started his college career as an engineering student, he soon discovered a love of economics. "Thirty years later, I still find it interesting, and I continue to read about and study it. I remember the faculty in the economics department had a real passion for it," he says.  "One of the things I still remember best about U of D was the quality of the faculty; they were uniformly great. I sincerely felt like they were at U of D because that is where they wanted to teach. I honestly cannot remember having a poor instructor."

While in school, Collins actively participated in ROTC.  "It was a great unit with a lot of camaraderie and activities. My fondest memories are from participating with the ROTC unit," Collins says.  "Although I majored in economics, my real reason for obtaining an undergraduate degree was so I could become an officer in the Army. I was saddened to find out that UDM no longer has an ROTC unit."

Upon graduation, Collins served as Second Lieutenant in the Army, joining the Army Reserve in 1983. Fifteen years later, he retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of Major.  After leaving active duty, Collins joined General Dynamics in Sterling Heights, Michigan. In 1996, Collins relocated to the corporate office finance staff in Falls Church after a series of positions of increasing responsibility, primarily in the finance department.

While Collins enjoys his life in Virginia, he still has family ties to Detroit and misses its sense of community.  There is more of a transient sense among his Virginia neighbors. He says, "Everybody here has someplace else that is 'back home' for them; no one plans to retire and live here."

According to Collins, UDM provided him with fundamentals that have served him well throughout his life.  "I remember my time there with great fondness," he says.  "I became an educated adult there. I started as a high school senior and graduated as an adult." He singles out the staff for additional praise. "There was sense of focus and professionalism among the faculty. It was a school where students went to learn and not to agitate or party," Collins says. "I made the right choice with UDM, and I believe I obtained a great education there."