PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Donald Bain, president of St. John Fisher College, today announced his plans to retire as the liberal-arts college’s leader in 2015 after a 40-year career, including the last 10 years as president.
“It has been my sincere pleasure serving this community for the last 40 years, but in particular, serving as president over the last decade,” Bain said in a news release. “I am grateful for the opportunity I was given, humbled by the support I have received, and looking forward to what lies ahead.”
The St. John Fisher College Board of Trustees will form a search committee in September, with an eye on having a new president in place in the summer of 2015, when Bain plans to step down, the college said.
Bain became the 6th president of Fisher in 2004 after then president, Dr. Katherine Keough, died in office. He started at the college in 1975 as a history professor. As a member of the faculty, he has held the position of assistant, associate, and full professor; History Department chair; dean of faculty; provost and dean of the college; vice president for administration; acting president; interim president; and president.
During his tenure as president, Bain led Fisher through an academic reorganization, creating autonomous schools, expanding the master’s level programs and international education, and introducing doctoral programs and online education, the release stated. He also led the Vision 2020 capital campaign, which raised more than $52 million and funded the creation of the Wegmans School of Pharmacy and Wegmans School of Nursing. The college also contends it has generated “record enrollment” and a growing intercollegiate athletics program under Bain’s leadership.
Bain was awarded a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During his undergraduate studies, he was a research assistant at Columbia University. Following his doctoral work, he was awarded an NEH fellowship at Yale University. Bain went on to receive a graduate certificate in educational management from Harvard University.
Before completing his education, Bain served in the U.S. Navy as a member of a combat aircrew. A Vietnam-era veteran, he is a member of Williamson, N.Y. American Legion Post 394. Bain belongs to several community organizations and was elected to four terms as a town justice in Williamson.
Most recently, Bain became a member of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Governmental Research, a nonprofit that provides research and analysis on public finance and policy issues.
St. John Fisher College is a coeducational liberal-arts institution situated on 154 acres in Pittsford, southeast of Rochester. It has 2,700 full-time undergraduates, 200 part-time undergraduates, and nearly 1,000 graduate students.
The college now offers 33 academic majors in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, and nursing, as well as 11 pre-professional programs. Fisher also has nine master’s and three doctoral programs.
In 2013, St. John Fisher College started offering its doctoral program in executive leadership (Ed.D) at the Onondaga Community College (OCC) Regional Higher Education Center. Fisher also has a 2+2 partnership agreement with OCC that allows OCC students to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Fisher. It has a similar deal with Mohawk Valley Community College.
Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com
