Overall Winner
Matthew Collier
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Senior in Aerospace Engineering
3.64 GPA

When Matt Collier arrived at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University from his one-light hometown in Pennsylvania, he was what one friend described as “a little kid.” But over the past four years, Collier, 21, has grown into a powerful leader. While at the helm of ERAU’s Student Government Association, he’s initiated changes on campus and beyond that will impact students for years to come—and helped his SGA win Florida Leader’s 2004 “Best SG” award in the process.

Currently in his second terms as ERAU’s SGA president and as a student trustee with full-voting privileges, Collier says that he feels he’s responsible for protecting the school’s 4,500 students. He does so by giving them a voice. “Over the course of the past two years, the single most important thing that I’ve contributed was to give the students a sound voice and then actively represent that voice to the administration and the board of trustees,” Collier says. “From a strong student voice you can derive infinite benefits.”

ERAU as a whole has reaped the benefits of Collier’s powerful leadership. Last spring, students showed their satisfaction and support by voting for him in a landslide—making Collier the first SGA president on the Daytona Beach campus to win re-election. So it’s hard to believe that just two years ago, he only squeaked by in his first presidential race, defeating a popular senior by a mere 11 votes. After a hard-fought and controversial election—in which Collier’s ticket was disqualified by the student court before having that decision rightfully overturned by the dean of students—Collier knew his political opponents didn’t accept his victory even as he was being sworn in at the SGA inaugural banquet.

“I knew right then and there that I had to get out and prove my legitimacy and prove that I was the right person for the job,” Collier says. “Out of that I developed a passion for doing what I did, and ultimately it became natural.”

Collier has more than proven himself. One of his major assets is his ability to work with the administration to make changes and implement programs that benefit the student body. Last year, Collier, in cooperation with the faculty senate, negotiated with the administration to lower an almost 5-percent tuition increase to only 4 percent—saving the student body about $1 million. This year, he was able to maintain the flat 4-percent increase for students already enrolled at ERAU. Collier’s professional demeanor and skilled maneuvering haven’t only resulted in saving students some cash—they’ve earned him respect from the faculty and administration.

“In 18 years of teaching, I’d rank Matt as one of the top overall students I’ve ever worked with,” says James E. Lewis, a professor and speaker for the Daytona Beach Faculty Senate. “Matt has earned the respect and admiration of the majority of our faculty. He’s not afraid to address difficult issues and always does so in a logical, well-thought-out, and professional fashion.” Lewis has so much confidence in Collier that he recently appointed the student as co-chair of a faculty senate ad-hoc committee on aeronautical science enrollments. “As far as I know, no senate speaker has ever asked a student to co-chair a senate committee,” Lewis says.

Most of the time, Collier works to lower student expenses. But if anyone could convince students to actually pay additional fees, it’s him. ERAU currently lacks a student union, an asset that Collier views as essential. “With a student union, we’d be able to move into the modern age and compete with some of our peer schools,” Collier says. He says that improvements to the school will add value to their degree in the future. When ERAU’s president presented his expenditure report during Collier’s first term as SGA president, there was no mention of the facility. It seemed that the union had dropped from the list of priorities.

Collier set to work researching how other schools financed similar endeavors, and he stumbled upon a facilities fee. The fee would be charged aside from regular tuition costs and would go directly toward financing a student union. He presented the idea to the president, who told him that if he could get the votes, they would implement the program in fall 2005. The administration also agreed to match funding when half of the cost had been raised. All that was left to do was convince the students.

Collier pitched the idea to the SGA, took them on a tour of another school’s facility, and then talked to about 500 students to test the waters. After several heated discussions, the student representatives were convinced—they voted 19-2 to implement the fee. According to Collier’s calculations, if all goes as planned, ERAU should have its student union completed in about seven years at the latest, nearly 10 years before their original financial plan would’ve afforded the cost. “Matt goes out on a limb, he takes challenges, and he doesn’t tip-toe around sensitive issues,” says Allison Austin, assistant director of student activities. “He’s just an innovative thinker. He’s not the typical student, and he goes above and beyond every time.”

Collier’s work extends beyond ERAU’s campus to other private schools in the state as well. He was instrumental in the development of an organization that’ll represent statewide interests for private colleges. The Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida was initially formed to bring schools together to discuss issues and share information. When ERAU hosted the fall 2003 conference, the group decided that their sporadic meetings simply weren’t enough. Collier focused the theme on becoming a student alliance for the ICUF institution. In fall 2004, ERAU hosted the conference in Orlando. There, they decided that those in attendance would lay the foundation for the ICUF Student Alliance, and at the spring conference, they ratified the constitution. Planning of the organization is still underway, but it’s expected to have full leveraging power within five years. One of the few of its kind, the program promises to make the voices of private colleges louder and clearer than ever before.

While Collier has implemented many forward-thinking programs that’ll impact future students, he has also worked to revamp programs that affect students on a daily basis. SafeRide is a taxi service that’s on-call for students who need a ride. After being with the same vendor for many years, ERAU was becoming dissatisfied with the service. Students were waiting up to an hour for their ride and were then crammed into a car where there were often not enough safety belts. Something needed to be done, and Collier once again stepped up to the plate. He found a new company and drafted a contract that granted more protection to the students. The company has a larger number of cabs that operate more efficiently, so now when a student places a call, the wait time can be as little as 10 minutes. The company is also prevented from putting more students than seatbelts into the car. “Students will ultimately benefit from that by realizing enhanced service, safety, and reliability,” Collier says.

Through his own experience, Collier has learned that becoming involved is essential. “It’s my feeling that any student, regardless of how new they are to the university, needs to be involved not only in academics but also in extracurricular activities—be it Student Government or clubs,” Collier says. As a guest reporter and columnist for The Avion, ERAU’s SGA-funded student newspaper, Collier works to strengthen the gap between SGA and the student body by telling students how they can get involved and keeping them up-to-date about the campus issues that affect them.

Collier’s commitment to involvement also prompted him to implement Task Force One after several students voiced concerns over a lack of opportunities for freshmen in SGA. Task Force One is a critical first step in ERAU’s Four-Year Experience, which is designed to facilitate students’ involvement at every stage of their education. Task Force One consults with the SGA president about freshman issues and also serves as a training bed for future leadership.

The organization has proven so successful that it has morphed into the Freshman Advisory Council, a recognized branch of SGA. Brian Gambino was involved in helping to initiate Task Force One and participated in the program his freshman year. He first ran and served as a student representative and is now seeking the office of vice president of SGA as a sophomore. “When I came here, I was taken aback that there wasn’t an opportunity for freshmen to become involved in Student Government,” Gambino says. “With Matt Collier, we came up with an idea for getting students involved. I wouldn’t have known how to go about getting involved. The program accelerated the process.”

Collier enjoys the chance to relate to students on a personal level. Besides Task Force One, he also serves as a peer mentor for incoming freshmen enrolled in his demanding major of aerospace engineering. “These students hungered for the advice and guidance of a seasoned engineering student, and I felt both honored and privileged to be the person they turned to for support,” Collier says. As a regular on the dean’s list, member of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, and SGA guru, Collier is both a role model and resource for these first-year students.

In his work outside ERAU and through his involvement on campus, Collier has gained a new perspective on life. “I’ve learned that going to college is more than going to class,” Collier says. “One of the strengths that I’ve developed is that I truly do have a passion for working with people, and I feel that I’m compassionate. I’ve expanded my horizons. On the whole, having the luxury and privilege of serving as the SGA president has enabled me to grow immeasurably, and that’s something I can see by simply closing my eyes and reflecting on the past four years.”

His metamorphosis is obvious to those who know and work with him. “Over the past year, I have seen Matt grow and change a great deal,” says John R. Watret, associate chancellor. “He now takes a broader look at the issue at hand and is able to see the ‘big picture,’ which has enabled him to initiate change that’ll help both the students and campus life.”

Now, as Collier prepares for a systems engineering co-op with Boeing, he finds himself headed in a different direction than he had originally anticipated. He still plans to pursue an advanced degree in business or economics, ultimately ending with a doctorate, but he’ll never be entirely finished with school. Although he’ll graduate next spring, school is where he hopes to spend the rest of his days. “I’ve developed quite a predilection for university life and higher education administration,” Collier says. “I like the idea of preparing young students for life in the real world. I’d like to continue doing it in some capacity, whether it be in student life or in academics.”

No matter where Collier goes in life, one thing is certain. He has left behind a legacy of change, and he’ll be remembered by those he has touched. “Yesterday, there was an open forum for some of the SGA candidates. You could see his influence on eight of the nine,” says Pat McAllister, assistant to the dean of students. “He’s one of those people I’ll never forget. I don’t think there’s any limit to where Matt can go.”

Collier supports himself primarily through the A.L. Ueltschi Scholarship and tuition vouchers.—MM

Contact Collier at sgapres@erau.edu.