A Message from President Gerard J. Rooney

I hope this note finds you and your family remaining healthy. I also hope that your student is doing well with their online coursework and in managing in the extraordinary circumstances of the second half of the spring semester. I have been inspired by the personal initiative and resilience our students have shown and by their commitment to achievement in this new learning environment. Thank you for your support for them and for your patience and understanding in this period.

As part of our budgeting process, we had a planned 2.95% increase for tuition, room and board, and fees for the 2020-2021 academic year. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am pleased to share with you that the College has committed to keeping our tuition, room and board, and fee costs for the 2020-2021 academic year stable.

For full-time undergraduate students, this will mean a savings of nearly $1,500 for residential students, and $1,200 for commuter students. The cost of attendance for graduate programs will remain at the current level, providing consistent savings for graduate students.

We shared this news with your student last week. We made this decision as we make all of our decisions - considering what is best for you and your student and our continued commitment to maintaining the affordability of a Fisher education. We hope that this will be of assistance to you in an otherwise uncertain time.

We also recently announced that while many of our summer courses were already scheduled to be online, we decided to shift all summer course offerings to an online instruction format. Tuition for online undergraduate classes will be offered at a reduced rate for Fisher students. Your student can still register, and the semester begins on Monday, May 18. While we all remain off-campus and working from home, our staff is available to your student through the summer to support their continued education, academic and career planning, and connection to the College.

As we look toward the last day of classes, the beginning of final exams, and the close of another Fisher chapter for your student, I wish you and your family the best. It is our privilege to have the opportunity to participate with your student in their educational journey. Our focus and commitment is to their academic success and the realization of their educational goals. On behalf of my faculty and staff colleagues – indeed all members of our Fisher community – thank you for your continuing belief in the value of a Fisher education.

If you have a graduating senior, we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments throughout the day on May 9 via social media and in person together at a time when it is safe for us to do so. If your student will be returning to campus when we resume normal operations, please know how much my colleagues and I are looking forward to being surrounded by their energy again. As always, please let me know if I can be of assistance to you.

Kind regards,

Gerard J. Rooney, Ph.D.
President