Fisher Community Making News
Faculty, staff, and students at St. John Fisher University make headlines every day. Here’s a round-up of recent accomplishments.
Research and Scholarship
Taylor & Francis/Routledge just released the book, Making Team Projects Work: A College Instructor's Guide to Successful Student Groupwork, written by Dr. Tim Franz, professor of psychology, and Dr. Lauren Vicker, professor emeritus, Department of Media and Communication. Their user-friendly manual walks college instructors through the process of creating, assigning, and executing successful group projects. Informed by a simple input-process-output model of group behavior, the guide provides structured advice, examples, and worksheets to design and facilitate effective team projects. Each chapter includes ready-made handouts for students, making it easy for educators to share content with their student teams and spend valuable classroom time teaching course material rather than team skills.
Dr. Jill Swiencicki, professor of English, is a founding editor of Gatherings, an interdisciplinary, intersectional feminist journal housed in St. John Fisher University’s scholarly journal holdings. Swiencicki’s editor’s welcome, “Lessons in Feminist Placemaking in the Present Time,” along with her article, “’Your Body is Your Story . . . & Only You Can Write It’: Feminist Placemaking at Planned Parenthood,” are featured in the journal’s first volume, “Exploring Feminist Placemaking.”
Dr. Holly Brown, executive director of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, and Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, founding director and current senior advisor with the Institute, participated in the Visiting Professors Program in Lublin, Poland. The scientific seminar brings leading experts in the field of nursing to the city. Brown delivered an introductory lecture on promoting positive changes in the care of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Cooney Miner participated on a panel discussion, sharing her work to advance nursing education and professional support for nurses. The event was hosted by the Department of Integrated Nursing Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, and organized by the Lublin Municipal Office.
Michelle Price, the sciences, health sciences, and special collection librarian with Lavery Library, participated in a conference hosted by the Native American Indian Education Association of New York. Price was invited to present on the Library’s “Decker Papers” collection, which contains documents written by George P. Decker (1861-1936), a Rochester attorney active in Native American land claim cases. The collection includes legal transcripts and petitions, letters, and other materials. During the three-decade span of his professional career, Decker represented the Onondaga, Tonawanda, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Reservations. Price was invited by Dr. Hugh Burnam, a member of the Mohawk, Wolf Clan from the Onondaga Nation, who is active in the Native American Indian Education Association and has served as a consultant on the “Decker Papers.”
Awards and Appointments
Two professors from the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, Dr. Vivek Dave and Dr. Ankit Rochani organized the inaugural banquet and networking event for the American Association of Indian Pharmacy Professors (AAIPP). Founded in 2024 to empower South Asian pharmacy educators across North America, AAIPP’s banquet was attended by more than 50 educators and professionals, marking an exciting launch of the Association.
Dr. Holly Brown, executive director of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, and Dr. Jane Tobias, a current fellow in the Golisano Fellowship in Developmental Disability Nursing, were recently selected to participate in the 2025 cohort of the Diversity Leadership Institute. Organized by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the Institute is a transformative program that equips participants with essential knowledge and skills in diversity, equity, and inclusion within academic nursing.
Dr. Karl Williams, a professor of pharmacy practice and administration in the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, was invited to participate in the Task Force on Opioid Addiction through the New York State Bar Association. This appointment follows Williams’ participation on New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s Task Force on Pain Management and Opioid Use Disorder.
Expert Commentary
Drs. Dan Connolly, Yi (Bessie) Liu, and Özge Kantaş were invited to deliver talks at TEDxNazarethUniversity this fall. Connolly, dean of the School of Business, presented the talk, “Is Service Becoming a Lost Art?.” Liu, who serves as an assistant professor of finance, presented the talk, “Unlocking Financial Happiness: Blending Universal Principles with Modern Insights.” Kantaş, an assistant professor of psychology who also teaches courses in the MBA program, delivered the talk, “The Power of Group Dynamics: From the Therapy Room to the Boardroom.”
This fall, Sareer Fazili, president of the Monroe County Bar Association, spoke with students in Professor Stephanie Fix’s Legal Environment of Business course. Fazili discussed litigation, civil cases, torts, and negligence. He also shared tips for students graduating, including studying hard and staying involved in community events. Fix said it was an informative and fun session for students.
Dr. Tim Madigan, professor of philosophy, was featured in the latest issue of Philosophy Now magazine, in a question-and-answer with British author Sarah Blackwell. In the piece, Madigan answers questions about philosophers including Iris Murdoch and Montaigne, the meaning of hope, humanism, and fallibility, among other topics.
WalletHub recently featured two Fisher experts. Dr. Daniel Connolly, dean of the School of Business, was featured in a piece about the best savings accounts for kids and Dr. Yi (Bessie) Liu, assistant professor of finance, was featured in a piece about the best personal loans for non-U.S. citizens.
Do You Have Noteworthy News to Share?
Tell us all about it! Fill out the News and Events Submission Form and we'll gladly include your accomplishments in an upcoming issue of Fisher News Highlights.