President's Biography
On Jan. 1, 2020, Daniel C. Dobbins ’81 became McKendree University’s 33rd president, succeeding Dr. Jim Dennis, who retired after 26 years.
President Dobbins’ McKendree story is one of loyalty, leadership and love, a journey
from the classroom to the boardroom. The 6' 8" student from the west-central farming
community of Pittsfield, Ill., studied business administration, played forward and
center for the Bearcats, and met his college sweetheart, the petite and outgoing Michaelene
“Mickey” Macaluso, on the Lebanon campus. The couple earned their bachelor’s degrees
in 1981 and married that year. Mickey worked in McKendree’s Office of Admission, while
Dan became an accountant and pursued his CPA and MBA, graduating from Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville in 1985.
Inspired by gratitude, the Dobbinses became stewards of McKendree as volunteers and
donors immediately after graduation. In 1987, Dan was elected president of the Alumni
Association Board and, by virtue of that position, a member of the Board of Trustees.
In 1999, the Alumni Association rewarded him with its most prestigious honor—the Peter
Akers Award. In 32 years as a trustee, he chaired the Resource Development and Financial
Affairs Committees, and served as treasurer (1998-2005), vice chair (2005-2007), and
board chair (2007-2015). The University conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree at the 2015 Commencement ceremony to recognize his years of service
and leadership as board chair. He has truly given his time, talent and treasure to
McKendree.
President Dobbins’ business acumen and experience, supported by years of service and
commitment to his alma mater, guide him in his new role. He is the former president
of Fiber Bond Corporation, an air filtration products manufacturing company in Michigan
City, Ind.
He views the opportunity to lead McKendree forward as a continued call to service.
“I am deeply committed to the mission of this great University and it has been a privilege
for me to work on behalf of its students and all of the members of the McKendree community
as a volunteer,” he said. “As I begin this new chapter in my relationship with the
University, I am deeply humbled and excited by the opportunity to continue that service
as president and I am grateful for the strong and enduring leadership of Jim Dennis,
who has left a lasting legacy on which we have the opportunity to build.”
