Rev. Austin I. Collins, C.S.C., got his start at Notre Dame, like many other University leaders, coming through the doors first as a student. His path to becoming vice president for the Office of Mission Engagement and Church Affairs (OMECA) followed a series of position changes and promotions. During this time, he also became an accomplished sculptor.
After five years at the helm of OMECA, Father Collins stepped down at the end of June to focus on his role of professor of sculpture in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, while also acting as an adviser to University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. He credits any success in the positions he has held to the people he’s worked with, noting that “none of us gets here alone; that’s first of all.” That sentiment, reflective now, has proven true throughout his career.
But it was in his previous role as chair of the art department that Father Collins said he learned the most about administration and management—and teamwork.
“There’s no business model that is like the academy. There is no comparison where you get a job for life. I think it teaches you a management style of goodwill, of bringing people together, of getting people to rally behind something or to support something that they really don’t have to,” he said. “I think this is where you bring conciliatory compromise.”
Sowing the seeds of faith
Father Collins grew up in Chicago as one of seven children. Growing up there meant easy access to great architecture and public art, as well as visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, all of which influenced his interest in the arts. His high school years were spent at Notre Dame College Prep, just outside the city, where, he said, it was the Holy Cross priests and brothers and the lay teachers who really had an effect on him.
The 1970s were a “turbulent time,” Father Collins recalled. “It was the Vietnam War, it was protests. There were a lot of questions being asked, social questions, different from today—and every era is different. But I think it was those good, holy people that planted the seed or raised questions that made me think.”
Father Collins completed his undergraduate work at Notre Dame in sociology and anthropology in 1977. He then went to Holy Cross Novitiate in Bennington, Vermont, having what he described as a wonderful experience living on the East Coast in a quaint, historic New England town. From there, he studied theology at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley and art at the University of California, Berkeley. He was ordained a Congregation of Holy Cross priest in 1982, and in 1985, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Claremont Graduate University in California. His extensive academic record includes an artist residency in Vence, France, in 1985, and an artist fellowship grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1987.
A return to Notre Dame in 1985 to teach launched the beginning of his career and various roles both at the University and with the Catholic Church. From then to now, Father Collins has lived for more than 40 years continuously in Dillon Hall.
“Even while I was a professor, while I was chair, while I was superior of our local [Holy Cross] community, when I had an office at Corby Hall, I have always lived at Dillon Hall,” Father Collins said. He finds himself comfortable there, explaining that living in a residence hall is just another aspect of being a priest at Notre Dame.
“I’m honored to be asked to celebrate weddings and baptisms. And lately, as you get older, you get asked to do funerals. And it’s a great honor to do that type of ministry.
“I think that’s probably unique to a Catholic university, to a Holy Cross university—that residentiality from the very beginning. Residential life is an important aspect of our life. Somebody will say, ‘Well, you’re 70 years old and you still live in a dorm.’ I can’t imagine not living there.”
Father Collins admitted that living with students means the residence hall can get loud at times. But he also acknowledged that it is their home, where he hopes they can “study, pray, and have good social gatherings and make good friends, which they do for life.”
Reaping the rewards
Stepping down as vice president is not an act of leaving altogether, Father Collins clarified. And he doesn’t want others to see his words here as an eulogy. He prefers to qualify his different roles at the University as roles with term limits, each giving him an opportunity to learn something new. “I look at it as just changing gears and doing something different.
“It has been a joy transitioning the Office of Mission Engagement and Church Affairs to Rev. Gregory P. Haake, C.S.C., I am excited to see the energy and new ideas he will bring to shaping the office. And it’s also time for me to get back to my art.”
The artwork he speaks of includes work similar to his sculptures found in roundabouts throughout South Bend, particularly the three on Michigan Street: two just south of Memorial Hospital and one at the Chippewa Avenue intersection. Father Collins enjoys outdoor public art installations, comparing them to indoor art galleries—though with an outdoor art installation, he said, viewers are forced to interact with it.
“And that brings up a whole other set of issues that I find interesting,” he explained. “I think public art is one of those things where everyone becomes a theorist, an art historian, a landscape architect, or an urban planner.”
His art pieces are large, colorful sculptures made from steel, which lends itself well to outdoor art use. He often uses corten steel—a steel that naturally rusts into a bronze-like color. He has used black paint, which he describes as beautiful and slenderizing, but most recently settled on brighter colors, bringing more attention to the form. Yet, his dedication to his role in OMECA meant less time to create and exhibit.
“My exhibition record would be a little sparse during these last five years, but I think my artwork will only be enriched from having had this experience. I think my faith has been enriched by having this experience and seeing all the good that people are trying to do in the world.”
The University’s close ties
Looking back at his career and various roles, Father Collins said that being asked to do something different has been nothing but a strength for him, especially the administrative roles as chair, superior, and vice president. “I wasn’t running for any of those offices, and they ended up being very rich opportunities personally and professionally.”
His answer to what he will miss the most is often heard at Notre Dame. “I’m going to miss the people,” he said. “There are so many generous people, especially in this [Main] building. You can’t walk down the hall without people really having your best interest at hand and the interests of the tasks that you’ve been charged with.”
Father Collins shared the story of an artist and friend who visited Notre Dame for the first time to exhibit his work. This friend—Michael, a professor at Vanderbilt University—found it most interesting that there was a cemetery on Notre Dame Avenue and inquired about its significance. The answer was simple. It was for faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Notre Dame.
“I’ll never forget—every time I go there for services or to pray for someone—I keep thinking of Michael and what he said to me, his very first visit to Notre Dame: ‘How cool. Oh my God, you live your whole life here and you get to be buried here.’ And I think that says something about the community and close ties that we have here.”