A graduate business degree—earned while working fulltime—helped rocket George Collins's career in asset management to new heights, culminating in a 13-year tenure as chair, president, and CEO of T. Rowe Price, one of the nation's largest investment companies. Under his stewardship, the Baltimore-based firm's assets increased from $17 billion to $80 billion and the number of funds tripled from 23 to 68.

George, Kogod/MBA '70, received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Military Institute and served as a captain in the US Air Force before moving with his wife Maureen and their children to Silver Spring, Maryland, where he enrolled in evening classes at AU. The business faculty made a lasting impression on George: "They were experts committed to working and teaching, who brought companies, strategies, and issues to life in the classroom."

An AU trustee from 1986 to 2005, George was elected vice chair of the board in 1997 (the same year he retired from T. Rowe Price to sail around the world in an international yachting race) and chair in 2001. In 2007, the Collinses established the George and Maureen Collins Chair in Strategy and Consulting, currently held by Kogod professor Parthiban David, who teaches corporate governance and strategic management. The couple has also chosen to provide for AU's future by naming the university a charitable beneficiary of George's retirement account.

George and Maureen split their time between the Miami area and Guilford, Connecticut. Though yachting and traveling keep him busy, George still makes time for his alma mater. Earlier this fall, he spoke as part of Kogod's Visiting Executive Series, telling students that "AU is the perfect platform to launch your career in business." George's remarkable résumé is certainly proof of that.

For information on how your vision and charitable estate planning can create a legacy at American University, contact Kara Barnes, director of planned giving, at 202-885-5914 or kbarnes@american.edu, or visit american.edu/plannedgiving.