Brigham Young University
Alumni Kevin and Debra Rollins Are True BYU Enthusiasts
Trustees/Presidents Fund
October 10, 2008
Fortune 500 businessman Kevin Rollins and his wife, Debra—both BYU alumni—left Provo to make their mark in the world. Now they frequently return to campus as exemplary supporters of the university and its students.
"Kevin Rollins, Dell's CEO and president, is one of the most powerful yet least-known personalities in the PC business," wrote CNET, a technology-industry news outlet.
Rollins, a graduate of the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management, has been chief executive officer of Dell, Inc. (a worldwide computer hardware company that is number 25 on the 2006 Fortune 500 list) since 2004 and its president since 2001.
He is a true-blue product of BYU. His father was a professor of civil engineering here, so as a young child he was on campus almost daily. Later his mother brought him to the Harris Fine Arts Center regularly for violin lessons. (An accomplished musician, Rollins still plays two or three times a year for special occasions.) After graduation from Orem High School, Rollins enrolled at BYU, earning a bachelor's degree and an MBA. It was here he met his wife, Debra Anne Skinner. They are the parents of four children and grandparents of three.
STRIVING FOR GREATNESS
"I wanted to go and make it in the world; my wife and I are both that way. We wanted to go and try it out," says Rollins. As he prepared for graduation from BYU, a professor suggested Rollins meet with a recruiter from Bain & Co., a management consulting firm.
As he took leadership roles with Dell, Rollins aimed at becoming a world-class leader himself. Instead of patterning his leadership style on contemporary models, however, he looked to historical figures—primarily, the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.
"I found myself a little bit more like Alexander Hamilton when I wanted to be more like George Washington," he says. "Hamilton created the greatest and best financial system the world has ever known. But he believed that just because he was smart and had the right answer, everyone would follow him. And obviously that's not the case. People quite often don't like smart alecks."
Washington motivated people by helping them better understand themselves, says Rollins. Washington was interested in the success of the nation more than his own success. Washington's is a self-sacrificing sort of leadership that transcends 'How much money do I get paid?' 'How much honor do I get?' and 'What's in it for me?'"
At Dell, Rollins has fostered a culture of constant improvement, not sparing himself from critical review. Among his colleagues he is noted for taking a deliberate approach to appraising his weaknesses and improving his strengths.
GIVING BACK TO BYU
Speaking at both the Marriott School and the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology spring convocations, Rollins told graduates to dream big, work hard, give back, and maintain balance. This is advice he and Debra have followed.
The couple serves on the BYU President's Leadership Council where he is the council's cochair. "Working with the Rollinses on the PLC has been one of the joys of my BYU experience," says President Cecil O. Samuelson. "This university is closer to attaining its destined excellence thanks to Kevin and Debra's enormous investments of time, talent, and means."
They have contributed to each of the university's recent building projects, including the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center; they have also funded several scholarships; and they serve on the Marriott School's National Advisory Council.
At the Marriott School, the couple founded the Kevin and Debra Rollins Center for eBusiness. Its purposes are to prepare students to lead in a networked world, to extend the frontiers of e-business knowledge, and to partner with industry in advancing e-business. Says Kevin, "E-business is not a sidelight—it is the future of business, and I want the Marriott School and BYU to be leaders in the transition."
Ned C. Hill, dean of the Marriott School, says, "Kevin has been a wonderful friend to the school for many years. We are grateful for his support and leadership. He is a great example to our students of how to live one's life."
