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Mark Collins, senior vice president for administration, will officially be leaving his position at Brandeis University after a period of service dating from 1987. Collins is the most recent in a string of recent resignations of top university administrators, including Rick Sawyer, former dean of student life, and Mark Spencer, former dean of admissions.

It was stated that Ellen de Graffenreid, senior vice president of communications, would be present at the interview conducted between Collins and The Hoot.

When asked to explain the reasons for his sudden departure from the university, Collins stated he was leaving “to explore other opportunities.” No further elaboration as to the specific circumstances behind his imminent departure was provided.

Collins stated, in a series of quotes prepared for the interview with Graffenreid present, “I believe firmly that students are the life and blood of the campus, and they should continue to be involved in the discernment of Brandeis for the next years.”

Originally hired as a purchasing manager in 1987, Collins has served the roles of director of materials management, director of university services, associate vice president for university services, and vice president of campus operations before being promoted to senior vice president of administration in 2010.

In an email to the Brandeis Community, Steve Manos, senior vice president and chief operating officer, stated “Mark has been a tireless advocate for making Brandeis a more attractive campus and for modernizing our facilities. His number one goal was to contribute to making Brandeis a safe and comfortable environment for our Brandeis community of faculty, students, staff, neighbors and visitors.”

Despite his own accomplishments, Collins expressed immense gratitude to his staff members, stating, “Those of us in leadership positions are as good as our staff. I am grateful to all of them individually and collectively.”

Collins further stressed his personal expectation to “strive for 100 percent level of service,” although he noted the tendency to be unable to do so in the operations areas.

In his series of prepared quotes, Collins stated, “I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing, but I hope it is in a place as great as Brandeis and with a community of students, faculty and staff that I’ve had the honor of working with.”

When asked what legacy he would like to leave behind, Collins replied he would like to be remembered as “a good and decent person who did a good job at Brandeis. I leave behind a group of people whom I will miss greatly.”

Collins will officially be leaving the Brandeis community on Dec. 31, 2013. He stated, “It’s been a great run, and I will miss Brandeis greatly.”