Collins director to retire this summer

For many students, relationships with professors last for 50 minutes and are contained within the white walls of classrooms. That is why Collins Living-Learning Center residents have grown to love Carl Ziegler, who has been the director of the LLC for the past 13 years. At the end of each semester, he always invites students from his Literature of the 1960s class into his home in the country, cooks them dinner and asks them about their interests and ambitions. They are more than just his students, they are his friends. \n"The time my class went to his house the power went out and he couldn't cook," said sophomore Erin Farlow. "So he ordered Chinese food and then left 20 of us in his house alone while he went to pick it up. It struck me how trusting he was."\nNext year will be different for Collins students because when they walk down Eighth Street, they won't see Maxine, Ziegler's dog, wagging her golden tail. They won't be greeted by Ziegler's firm handshake or warm smile because in July, Ziegler turns 64 and will retire. \n"I'm retiring now for financial and personal reasons," said Ziegler, who for years, has been a professor of both Germanic studies and comparative literature at IU. \nZiegler became the director of Collins in 1991 and began making changes. Soon after he worked with Residential Programs and Services to physically beautify the Collins quad by removing shrubs, putting in new windows, fixing the roof and expanding housing options for students. He initiated the Hillcrest Apartment Complex, located half a block from the main quad, and also acquired a clubhouse on Eighth Street, where students go to cook, play pool or watch movies.\nOne of Ziegler's main priorities was to transform Collins into a living and learning center. He hired a full-time academic coordinator and expanded the courses at Collins. Now, Collins is a part of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the college invests money in the residence hall so that any IU student or resident of Collins can choose to take one of the many intimate seminars offered each semester. \n"Collins improved a lot after we opened our classes to all students at IU," Ziegler said. "Some think Collins is the artsy-fartsy weirdo dorm, but we've opened up our community and invited students to take courses here and see the fallacy of their stereotype."\nZiegler also worked to improve programming and implemented many different groups in which students can be involved, such as the Arts Council; E-Force, for students concerned with the environment; Philanthropy Council; and the Board of Educational Programming, where residents can propose and approve new courses. \n"Change is always scary; you get used to things being a certain way," said Yara Cluver, director of admissions at Collins. "It will be sad to see Carl go, but I guess that's just the nature of things."\nZiegler will help ease the transition of the new director and will work with whoever is chosen through August. After that, he plans to spend more time traveling, building a new house and working with more volunteer organizations. \n"I wouldn't expect my successor to do everything the way I did," Ziegler said, "but I hope they will make students their top priority."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.