Karen Collins has a reputation.

Just make a call anywhere on campus and ask. Debbie Williamson, vice president of enrollment, described Collins as “the person you often wish you could be.”

Walk the hall and strike up a conversation with an employee. “Karen’s service as an employee at CSU is truly admirable,” said Rex Nestor, assistant to the vice president of academic affairs. “Year after year she exceeds expectations. Her tenacious spirit and Christian perspective make her a pleasure to be around.”

Or, send an e-mail to a former coworker. Ken Gerlinger, sports information director from 1997-2000, wrote, “Karen was the person in the athletic department that everyone went to with everything. She was the person who could get things done. What made her so special to all of us was that she did it all while maintaining her humor and positive attitude. There was a lot on her shoulders, but she handled it with grace.”

This is the kind of thing that happens when you spend 16 years in one place. In fact, her reputation has earned her the Distinguished Service Award for her service to the University.

“I would not be where I am today as a person if not for Karen Collins,” said Hans Olsen, former CSU coach and current head women’s tennis coach at North Carolina State University. “She taught me about leadership. She taught me about mentoring and teaching young people. She taught me about how to work hard that one extra degree and how much of a difference that would make. Karen is a leader by the example that she sets each day.”

“Karen is always thinking about and doing for others,” adds Williamson. “It is a part of who she is as a person.”

Prior to coming to CSU, Collins worked for 12 years at College Park Elementary as a teaching assistant. Then, in 1994, she accepted a position in the admissions office at CSU. After one year she transferred to the athletic department, where she spent the next 10 years, where she earned the nickname “I’ll take care of that!” The phrase speaks for itself. One could count on a single hand the responsibilities Collins didn’t take care of.

“She has a servant’s heart and she will never stop giving to everyone around her,” said women’s volleyball coach Danyel Bellush. “Her entire life she has taken care of everyone IN her life. It is simply the way God programmed her … to serve. She serves CSU with such grace and loyalty that she sets the bar high for all of us.”

“She often sends the special card when you least expect receiving one,” said Williamson. “She sends the e-mail, or leaves a voice mail, when she knows you need a word of encouragement.”

When Collins started at Charleston Southern, Bellush was a senior student, who became head coach for women’s volleyball. Collins is godmother to her children.

“Karen is a beautiful mother, wife, colleague and friend that is a blessing to everyone she encounters,” added Bellush. “If you need something in a pinch, call her. If you need someone to talk to, call her. When you need someone to let you know they care about you, she’ll call you!”

That’s the reputation that earned her the Employee of the Year Award at CSU in 1997-98. In 2008-09, she was given the Distinguished Service Award from the CSU football staff (the first CSU employee to win the award).

“Karen reaches out and serves others with incredible care and compassion,” said Williamson. “It might be the student-athlete who has car trouble and doesn’t have the money to repair it, the work-study student who lost a parent, military families whose family member is deployed, a friend who has lost a loved one or someone she doesn’t even know but heard their parents didn’t have the money to buy Christmas presents.”

“Karen is a wonderful Christian woman with a heart of gold and strong faith in God,” said Nestor.

Collins has worked in the advancement office since 2005. Karen and Ed Collins have been married for 35 years. The couple has one son, Adam, who graduated from CSU in 1998 with a degree in history. He earned his master’s degree in athletic administration from IUP. He is the assistant athletic director and women’s basketball coach at the University of Texas Permian Basin. The Collins have two grandchildren.