Rachel Croson, Executive Vice President and Provost, University of Minnesota
"Dean Bob Stine’s influence on the CCAPS community will be felt for years to come. In his 16 years of leadership at CCAPS—including 11 years as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs—his commitment to the College, the University, and especially to all our learners has been unwavering.
"His service to our institution spans decades and colleges. In addition to his commitments to CCAPS over the past 42 years, he has led the Minnesota Tree Improvement Cooperative, coordinated the Cloquet Forestry Center, and served as associate dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.
"I know that CCAPS will miss Bob very much, but you are not alone. He leaves a strong, vibrant, and inspiring legacy for the University, our community, and our state that will reverberate for years to come."
Michelle Koker, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, CCAPS
"I believe Bob is a successful leader because he puts others first: family, friends, colleagues, team members, staff and faculty, students, and community members. By prioritizing the needs and wants of others above his own, he embodies the best qualities and the greatest achievements of a true servant-leader. He is confident in his beliefs and abilities yet humble enough to admit mistakes, ask for feedback, and stand aside to give someone else the due credit and recognition for a great idea or achievement. Bob recognizes that true leadership is not about overshadowing others but enabling them to shine.
"The most important characteristics that have influenced Bob's success as a leader are his selflessness and his compassion. Throughout his time in CCAPS, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the needs of the college community, placing the collective success of its members above personal accolades. His leadership style is characterized by an understanding that the success of the team is intricately woven into the success of each individual within it.
"Bob's legacy is not just the myriad of achievements and successes CCAPS has had under his leadership and guidance, but more importantly it is the growth, sense of purpose and connectedness, and shared commitment to excellence instilled in each member of the college community."
Mary Nichols, Dean of CCAPS, 2001–2018
"As Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Bob was an unwavering champion for meaningful, challenging academic programs and for supporting student success in them. Like most true entrepreneurs, he kept a keen eye on unmet market needs in the ever-changing education space and opportunities to engage in meaningful partnerships, when appropriate, to meet those needs. Partnerships often involved other colleges, or outside professional organizations, employer groups, state agencies, and others.
"He always had a steady hand in the sometimes messy process of bringing new programs to life and making positive change happen in a university setting. He has a collaborative leadership style that keeps everyone focused on the common goal, leaves lots of space for input from others that makes the outcome even better, and he persists. I don't know anyone who didn't enjoy working with Bob!
"I appreciated so much being able to work closely with Bob in our leadership roles. He is an amazing colleague, especially when there are problems to tackle, opportunities to explore, or consequential decisions to make. He always brought careful analysis of a situation, along with creative solutions, and we could always count on his observations being thoughtful, honest, and apolitical. Bob always truly had the College's best interests at the forefront. What more can you ask for in a great colleague and collaborator!"
Ritu Saksena, Associate Dean for Graduate Education, CCAPS
"Change at the top, after years of steady leadership, usually brings on some uncertainty and some trepidation about the unknown. When Dean Nichols retired and Bob stepped in as an Interim Dean, it also coincided with a time of change at the larger campus level. His steady resolve and strong leadership record within CCAPS quickly set a reassuring tone for the College, and his deep commitment to forging ahead quickly dissipated any outstanding concerns. Both as Interim Dean and now Dean for six years and through a pandemic, Bob has maintained this commitment to increased transparency, open communications, varied opportunities for feedback, and effective collaboration.
"Collaboration starts from the top and he set the tone from a revised College Mission to the CCAPS Values, from a new Intranet site to a Dean’s Blog, a biannual Portfolio Review to a restructuring, from new college-level Committees and the first CCAPS DEI Council, and to a seamless transition to remote and hybrid work. He brought everyone into the conversation through various engagement opportunities and forums. He listened and he acted with resolve. His efforts to engage with every shade of CCAPS stakeholders from students, alumni, staff, faculty, OLLI members, learners and others is well-known and much appreciated. And in doing all this, Bob also learned about so many individual and unique experiences, he made connections and after, always had thoughtful anecdotes to share as a reminder of who we serve and what we do best as a college! The stories inspired and further reinforced our commitment to Access, Learning, Inclusivity, Collaboration and Excellence."