Board of Trustees

Martin K. Birmingham, Chair
President and CEO of Financial Institutions
Five Star Bank

Jack A. DePeters ’73, Vice Chair
Senior Vice President of Store Operations
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

Gerard J. Rooney, Ph.D.
President
St. John Fisher College

Ronald D. Billitier ’88
President/Owner
Billitier Electric, Inc.

Thomas G. Bowles ’71
Former Chief Executive Officer
Enesco, LLC

Russell H. Brandon ’89
Chief Operating Officer – Pegula Sports and Entertainment
Managing Partner/President – Buffalo Bills, Inc.
President, Buffalo Sabres

Daniel J. Burns
President of the Rochester Division
Senior Vice President
M&T Bank Corporation

José J. Coronas
General Partner
Trillium Group

Rev. Albert Cylwicki, C.S.B.
Adjunct Professor of Mathematics
St. John Fisher College

M. Kevin Dugan ’70
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer
PrimeGroup Insurance, Inc. (PGI Inc.)

C. McCollister Evarts, M.D.
Former CEO
University of Rochester Medical Center

Michael C. Goonan ’75
Former Vice President and CFO
University of Rochester Medical Center

James P. Growney ’66
Former Chairman/CEO
C.P.U., Inc.

William M. Hughes ’62
Chief Executive Officer
HPA Consulting Group, Inc.

Donald E. Jeffries ’74
President and Chief Executive Officer
VisitRochester

Martin L. Keating ’75
Former Managing Director
CCRE

Jill Knittel ’94, ’03 (MBA)
President
J K Executive Strategies, LLC

Janice C. Loss ’92
President/Owner
Skin Search of Rochester, Inc. and DermaSpa
Partners of Dermatology Associates of Rochester, P.C.

Elizabeth (Betty) Mullin-DiProsa
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
St. Ann’s Community

Diana L. Nole
President and CEO
Wolters Kluwer Health

Michael A. O’Conor ’78
Former Director, Management Consulting
Jordan & Jordan

John A. Palvino ’55
Former Executive Vice President
The Lincoln Group

William J. Pellicano ’80
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
PrimePay, LLC

Mary V. Piehler ’79
Director, Northeast Region
Lenovo

Ronald A. Pluta ’79
Managing Partner
Calkins Corporate Park

Wanda Polisseni
Community Volunteer

Rev. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. ’80
Chief Executive Officer
Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation

Victor E. Salerno ’66
Chief Executive Officer
O’Connell Electric Company

Ferdinand J. Smith
CEO, Executive Creative Director
JAY

Philip H. Yawman
Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Operations
Annese & Associates, Inc.

Ex-Officio Members

Chair of Faculty Assembly

Kris H. Green, Ph.D.
Department Chair, Mathematical and Computing Sciences
St. John Fisher College

Alumni Board President

David M. Kolczynski ’94
Director of Operations and Engineering
Construction Robotics, LLC

Student Government Association

Kelsey Michener ’18
President, Student Government Association

College Counsel

Robert W. Burgdorf, Esq. ’84
Nixon Peabody LLP

Secretary to the Board

Joan L. Benulis
Senior Executive Assistant to the President
St. John Fisher College

Trustees Emeriti

Thomas F. Bonadio ’71
Managing Partner
The Bonadio Group

Mildred C. Boylan
Community Volunteer

Charles A. Constantino ’61
Former Executive Vice President
PAR Technology Corporation

B. Thomas Golisano
Golisano Foundation
Chairman, Paychex, Inc.

R. Wayne LeChase
Chairman
LeChase Construction Services, LLC

Gary L. Mucci Esq. ’68
Counsel
Barclay Damon, LLP

Martin Mucci ’81
President and Chief Executive Officer
Paychex, Inc.

John R. Riedman
Chairman
Riedman Corporation

Joseph R. Rulison ’78
Co-Founder and CEO
Three + One Advisors

James D. Ryan
Former President
Ryco Management, Inc.

Robert F. Sykes
Former President & CEO
Sykes Datatronics

Rev. Joseph A. Trovato, C.S.B.
Parochial Vicar
Christ the King Church

Gerald E. VanStrydonck ’66

St. John Fisher College is incorporated under the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000) The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Program Accreditations

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education’s teacher education program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The School of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB-International), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The Wegmans School of Nursing is accredited by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The Wegmans School of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

The sport management degree program is accredited through the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).

St. John Fisher College is included on the list of colleges and universities approved by the American Chemical Society.

Developed with the Student Government Association, the Fisher Creed speaks to the basic values and aspirations of the students at St. John Fisher College.

As students who have chosen to join the St. John Fisher College community, we share certain basic values and aspirations. To be active participants in a shared living/learning experience, we bring to Fisher:

Respect for ourselves; for others, their ideas and beliefs; and for our community as a whole.

Open-mindedness to things that are new, different, and unfamiliar.

Integrity that will enable us to be honest, sincere, and true to ourselves.

By bringing these qualities to our mutual experience, we can create a community that exemplifies the following values:

Diversity of cultural backgrounds, personal characteristics, and life situations, all of which we value for their contribution to our community.

Responsibility for individual actions and for their impact on others, and for creating a sense of ownership by community members.

Education with a commitment to scholarship, academic honesty,and lifelong learning.

Leadership in an environment that fosters active engagement in our community, displayed through participation, mentorship, and service.

Growth as reflected in continuous personal, intellectual, and spiritual development.

As members of the St. John Fisher College community, we live and work in close proximity, sharing certain needs, interests, and aspirations. Our common goal is personal, communal, and academic development that will allow us to become responsible, committed participants in a larger society. By adhering to the personal attributes and values outlined here, we commit ourselves to lives that fulfill the Basilian motto: “Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge.”

Historical Sketch

St. John Fisher College was founded as a Catholic college in 1948 through the combined efforts of civic leaders, the community at large, the Basilian Fathers, and the late Most Reverend James E. Kearney, then Bishop of Rochester. It was founded as a college for men under the direction of priests of the Congregation of St. Basil. In 1968, the Board of Trustees, once composed only of Basilian Fathers, was enlarged and diversified so that today the College is governed by an independent Board of Trustees that includes persons of diverse faiths and that is broadly representative of the business, professional, cultural, and academic communities of the area it serves. In 1971, the first women students were admitted. Today, St. John Fisher College is a private, independent college emphasizing the liberal arts as well as programs in traditional academic disciplines and more directly career-oriented fields.

As it progresses through the 21st century, the College remains true to its Catholic and Basilian heritage. The 154-acre campus has 26 modern buildings. The College currently enrolls more than 2,600 full-time undergraduate students, over half of whom live in residence. In addition, nearly 200 part-time undergraduate students and over 1,000 graduate students take credit courses. Full- and part-time faculty number over 350.

From its beginning, St. John Fisher College has recognized its responsibility to those people and businesses of the Rochester area who have continued to give it their generous support. Accordingly, the College makes a special effort to serve this community by finding places within its classrooms for qualified local students, by attracting to Rochester from other areas faculty and students who can contribute to the life of the community, and by providing instruction of a quality that will enable its graduates to serve well in their vocations and avocations.

The College also admits part-time students and transfer students from two-year and four-year colleges.

Basilian Fathers

The Basilian Fathers are an international teaching community with more than a century of experience in the work of higher education. Today, members of the Basilian community serve as regular members of the faculty and professional staff, all of whom have been chosen for their academic excellence and experience. The Basilian tradition of working in close collaboration with public and private colleges and universities continues as an established principle of St. John Fisher College.

The mission of the Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (CSLCE) is to graduate students prepared and motivated to make meaningful contributions in Rochester and beyond. Participation in civic engagement enables Fisher students to gain the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to become contributing citizens in a diverse and complex society. Sustained collaborations with community partners result in asset building and positive community change. Faculty access new avenues of community-based teaching and research that will enrich the learning experience, enhance professional development and recognition, and provide opportunities for scholarship across the disciplines.

The Center coordinates service-learning which is defined as the integration of service projects in academic courses to enhance student learning, teach civic responsibility, address community needs, and strengthen communities. Service-learning courses can be found across the disciplines and in all five Schools. This service moves beyond the traditional understanding of charity or volunteerism through the integration of community-based projects (client support or capacity-building products) in academic courses to meet both student learning goals and the needs of the community partner. Students can search for service-learning courses using the SLC Attribute on the course registration page. Example courses and resources for students, faculty, and community partners can be found on the Service-Learning website.

Other programs and services of the Center include a Civic Engagement Faculty Workshop Series, Civic Engagement Award and Showcase Ceremony, Mini and CE Grants, and CE Professional Development Funds. These programs enhance awareness and education of CE, recognize best practices, enhance student leadership and grant-writing, deepen community impact, and support faculty professional development.

St. John Fisher College has a deep commitment to service as outlined in its mission statement. Strong CE is also consistent with Fisher’s vision, puts into action its motto: “Teach me goodness,” and is an enduring expression of its Catholic heritage. St. John Fisher College has achieved the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching).

The Student Life division of St. John Fisher College supports and challenges students to continue to mature through residential, social, and wellness services and programs. These programs and services help students learn who they are as individuals and community members, how to live within a community, how to respect the diversity they will experience in their lives, and how to maintain an appropriate quality of life. Through collaboration with our campus colleagues, our work complements the educational mission of the College and supports the Fisher Creed.