Lewis Collens retirement celebration, 2007

Lewis (Lew) Collens was president of Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) from 1990 - 2007. From 1974 - 1990, Collens was dean of Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he also taught corporate and securities law. During his time as president, the university underwent a transformation at various levels: significant research centers and institutes were created, Main Campus historic structures were physically restored and new structures were added, student quality and enrollment dramatically improved, and the university endowment increased from $50 million to $300 million. Collens championed the Interprofessional Projects program, an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to addressing real-world problems through a curriculum emphasizing student teamwork and leadership. Several new academic programs were also developed during Collens's tenure as well as University Technology Park At IIT, a facility that provides faculty expertise, office space, and state-of-the-art laboratories to both start-up and established companies. In recognition of the president's contributions to the university, the IIT Chicago Public Schools Scholarship was renamed the Collens Scholarship.