By: Lian Bunny
News Editor
After working at St. Bonaventure for 30 years, Michael Fischer chose to step down as provost and vice president for academic affairs and return to what he considers his favorite position at the university: the teaching faculty in the School of Business.
“I made the decision 30 years ago to be an accounting professor at St. Bonaventure,” Fischer said. “I’ve had the privilege to serve the university in a number of different roles over the years, but in total I’ve only been able to spend about five to six years full-time on the teaching faculty at Bonaventure. Now, I’m really looking forward to being able to return to the classroom and to spending the remainder of my career here doing what I most enjoy.”
Fisher began teaching accounting at St. Bonaventure in 1985 and taught until 1994 when he became the dean of enrollment. In 1998, he became the dean of the School of Business. The university promoted Fischer to provost and vice president for Academic Affairs in 2006.
Fischer said he plans to take a 1-year sabbatical to focus on his use of technology in the classroom. According to Fischer, this will include working with his colleagues in the business school and staff in technology services. In addition, he said he might participate in off-campus workshops or seminars.
After that, Fischer said he is not sure what accounting courses he will be teaching.
“My course assignments will be [made] by my department chair and dean, the same with all my colleagues in the department of accounting,” Fischer said. “I’m looking forward to having those discussions so that I can use my sabbatical to prepare for my return to teaching.”
According to Fischer, he felt it was the right time to return to the teaching faculty. He said he had promised Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D, university president, he would see the strategic alliance talks with Hilbert College through before preparing to end his service as provost.
Fischer said his decision to step down was not connected to Carol Fischer, his wife, and her position as interim dean of the School of Business.
“[Carol] had already made the decision that she did not want to be a candidate for the permanent dean position prior to my decision to end my service as provost,” Fischer said.
Carney said the university would announce plans for interim and long-term replacements for provost by the end of April.
Fischer said the university has accomplished a lot during his nine years as provost. Bonaventure went through a Middle States reaccreditation and launched its first fully online degree programs. According to Fischer, the university improved the atmosphere of collegiality through revising its Faculty Status and Welfare Handbook and getting removed from the list of institutions censured by the American Association of University Presidents (AAUP).
The AAUP’s purpose is to advance academic freedom and shared authority and to define professional values and standards for higher education.
Fischer said he was happy to take part in the Hilbert alliance discussions.
“I was very pleased to have been able to play a role in our exploration of a possible further strategic alliance with Hilbert,” Fischer said. “I thought that was a very valuable experience for us, even though it didn’t result in a decision to pursue formal integration of the two institutions.”
According to Fischer, his goal of engaging more technology use in the classroom was helpful as well. In 1998 the Internet was still in its infancy on campus. There was no wireless Internet, no computers or projectors installed in classrooms and we didn’t use learning management systems, such as Moodle, Fischer said.
“My biggest overall goal as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs was to always make the decision that I believed was best for the University, and to always act with both integrity and civility,” Fischer said. “Looking back, I feel that I have been able to achieve those goals.”
