Alumni Profiles

Donald Bain, PhD ’74, MA ’72 & BA ’69

Donald Bain

Donald Bain

“My vision for St. John Fisher College is guided by our past, driven by our purpose and is true to our mission,” says Donald Bain, PhD ’74, MA ’72 & BA ’69.

It’s a vision Bain has brought to his new post as president of the Rochester, NY, college and a reminder of how he has approached his career thus far, achieving success as scholar, professor and, now, college president. In 1969, having received a BA in history at UB, Bain decided to pursue a PhD in history at UB because of the department’s broad curriculum and strong teaching staff.

“My education at UB inspired an intellectual curiosity that is still with me today,” says Bain. “The example set by my professors, especially Dr. Clifton K. Yearley, Dr. Michael Frisch and Dr. Nori Baker, was a powerful influence in setting me on a course of academic purpose, intellectual discipline and scholastic integrity.”

A Vietnam-era veteran, Bain logged more than 2,500 hours of operational and training missions as a member of a combat aircrew while serving in the U.S. Navy. Asked how his military service affected his decision to pursue American foreign policy as an academic specialty, Bain replies, “The experience instilled in me a sense of duty and responsibility. Duty to understand thoroughly the purpose of a strategy, to prepare fully to complete it successfully, and to operate within the applicable rules, laws and terms of engagement.”

He continues: “I think it also deepened my sense of responsibility to the welfare of my colleagues, the necessity of teamwork and tolerance, the mission of the institution [St. John Fisher College], and, in the final analysis, the need for an individual to make sound and confident judgments upon which decisions to act are based. This led, I believe, to my strong commitment as president to the concept of shared governance with the faculty and a leadership style based on building consensus through respect and collaboration.”

Although his UB graduate studies initially focused on 20th-century American social and urban development, American foreign policy became his teaching passion. “Foreign policy emerged as a very compelling intellectual area for both [my] teaching and research,” says Bain. “I had a strong interest in examining how nations decide upon the use of diplomatic, economic and military options in resolving international disputes.”

With his growing expertise in foreign policy, Bain became well-known as a national security specialist and was eventually tapped to be visiting scholar at the Defense Intelligence Agency. He has also held a senior appointment in the Military Strategy Division of the Department of Defense, National Defense University in Washington.

In addition to the three academic degrees he earned from UB, Bain also holds a graduate certificate in educational management from Harvard University. Before becoming St. John Fisher College president, he held several positions there, including provost and dean of the college, vice president for administration, dean of faculty, and history professor and department chair. He was honored twice with the College Award for Teaching Excellence.

A self-described “insatiable reader,” Bain and his wife, Meg, often take up reading when visiting their family farm 30 miles east of Rochester. His latest finished reads are Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons, David McCullough’s 1776 and P. D. James’ The Lighthouse. The couple, married 39 years, also enjoy spending time with their two children and four grandchildren.

Story by Jessica Griffin