By On Wednesday Oct. 3, the Daily Titan announced the passing of a faculty member.
“Dr. Jackie Collins, a long-time and valued member of the IU South Bend community, passed away unexpectedly last week,” said the announcement, posted by Ken Baierl, director of marketing and communications for IU South Bend.
“Per her wishes, cremation was chosen. There are no services planned. She will be dearly missed,” the announcement closed.
Smiljka Cubelic, senior lecturer; second-year writing, provided this statement on remembering Collins:
Remembering a friend, colleague, and faculty member Jackie Collins
By Smiljka Cubelic
Dr. Jackie Collins, a Notre Dame Ph.D. graduate, was a valued member of the IU South Bend and Elkhart communities for 34 years. As a Senior Lecturer in the English Department since 2010, she developed and taught a variety of literature and writing courses. She was particularly fond of the ENG-T190 on the topic of “Dysfunctional Families” along with T191 “Heroes in Ancient and Medieval World Literature,” and T192 “The Hero Quest.” Over years, Jackie taught a number of first and second year courses and became a valuable asset to the Writing Program. As a leading member of the Professional Writing Committee, she developed W231 Professional Writing curriculum for CLAS majors, and ensured that the Professional Writing Certificate was completed last semester.
Dr. Collins consistently supported Indiana University’s mission of excellence by promoting rigorous educational progress and intellectual development at their best. By applying the principles of her ethical paradigm—based on leadership, compassion, and awareness of the interconnectedness of all life—Jackie took her literature and writing students beyond the factual knowledge and embarked on an intellectual journey that empowered the students to compete in the economy of the 21st century. As a passionate educator, she believed goals of literature and writing are similar because they both are transformative in nature; they both lead students to new ways of thinking about themselves and their relationships with others as they make informed ethical decisions in their personal and professional lives. In a sense, Jackie was training generations of IU South Bend graduates in skills of the scholar and 21st century citizen regardless of their socioeconomic conditioning. She advocated intellectual engagement despite its lack of popularity in popular culture, dispassion in the midst of controversy, and courage in the face of intellectual uncertainly.
Her passion for teaching equaled her passion for nature and animals. She was an accomplished and competitive equestrian who loved English riding, Western riding and trail, but always found time to teach either riding and training techniques as a long-time volunteer with 4-H Horse and Pony, or building techniques for Cass County Habitat for Humanity.
