A Growing Impact

Since the enrollment of the first class of students in 1951, St. John Fisher University has been a significant contributor to the greater Rochester area, and to all of New York state. In the years ahead, its contribution, for several reasons, is likely to increase.

As of the summer of 2023, St. John Fisher University had 33,146 living alumni – an increase of 27 percent since 2015. Of this total, 57 percent lived in the greater Rochester area, with another 22 percent living elsewhere in New York state. With nearly 1,000 students each year earning undergraduate or graduate degrees at Fisher, the number of Fisher alumni living in the Rochester area and elsewhere in New York is likely to keep growing for the next several years. Moreover, the ongoing development of new online programs in recent years (such as online Pharm.D. and MBA degrees) can in this regard serve as a “force multiplier,” making a Fisher education more readily available to people throughout the greater Rochester area and the state, further increasing the University’s contribution to the growth of New York’s human capital. Moreover, with continued growth in the number of recent Fisher graduates living in the Rochester area and elsewhere in New York, graduates of the University are especially well-represented among the region’s and the state’s younger adult workforce – the well-educated 25-to-45-year-old workers so critical to the vitality and adaptability of New York’s economy.

Fisher’s contribution to the ongoing development of the region’s and the state’s human capital is not, however, simply a matter of overall numbers. Fisher has been notably responsive to ongoing changes in New York’s economy, in its labor market and in the wider world.

New undergraduate degree programs are preparing Fisher students for careers in rapidly growing fields such as data analytics, cybersecurity and sustainability.; and well-established programs in elementary and secondary education, nursing and pharmacy (one of only eight schools of pharmacy in New York) are helping communities throughout the state address a need for skilled professionals in health and education that in the years since the Covid-19 pandemic has only grown more acute.

Moreover, Fisher estimates that from fiscal year 2024 through fiscal year 2028, the University will be spending $110.9 million on construction of new and renovation of existing facilities. This investment will create jobs for local residents and contracting opportunities for local businesses; and will enhance the University’s capacity to fulfill its educational mission.

Now and in the future, St. John Fisher University will continue to serve as one of Monroe County’s and the greater Rochester area’s anchor institutions – a distinguished college and now University, and an active participant in efforts to strengthen the region’s economy, to address community needs, and to ensure that the Rochester area is a safe, healthy, and vibrant place to live and work.