September 29, 1994: Vol26n4: William Fischer named vice provost

By CHRISTINE VIDAL
Reporter Editor
UB has embarked upon a new path in the support and guidance of faculty
as they grow and change both professionally and personally throughout
their careers.
	Effective Nov. 1, a vice provost for faculty development will
work with deans and department chairs to provide advice, support and
appropriate mentoring to new and well-seasoned faculty alike. The
position represents a "real change in the culture" of academia that is
long overdue, says UB Provost Aaron Bloch.
	William C. Fischer, chair of the English Department and a
member of the UB faculty for 27 years, has been named to the new
position.
	"We needed someone to be part catalyst, part mentor, part
gadfly, to be prodding and in some ways shaping the process," said
Bloch.
	"Bill Fischer emerged as a clear choice. I believe that he has
the experience, the capacities, the human qualities and the active
interest in these areas to help the university move in some genuinely
groundbreaking directions."
	A principal advisor to the provost, the vice provost will
"devise, coordinate and lead programs aimed at building the academic
community," according to the position description. He will be
especially concerned with issues surrounding the growing diversity of
the faculty.
	"We must support individual faculty members' new approaches to
their disciplines, professions and life's work," said UB President
William R. Greiner. It will be the task of the vice provost for
faculty development "to provide support for the evolution of faculty
careers," he added.
	Because it is new, the role of the vice provost for faculty
development is not fully defined, Fischer says. And that in itself is
part of what makes the position a tremendous opportunity for both
Fischer and UB.
	Says Bloch, "The most important resource at the university is
the human resource, and we're wasting that resource unless we help
people get the most out of their careers."
	"We need to be giving a lot more thought to how we nurture
those resources," Fischer said.
	Working in tandem with the deans, the vice provost for faculty
development will develop and supervise systems for training department
chairs, orienting new faculty members, mentoring junior faculty and
counseling senior faculty at critical junctures in their careers. He
also will work to build an environment that values and actively
encourages diversity through initiatives that address the specific
needs of women and underrepresented minorities.
	That emphasis will begin with a candidate's "first impression
of the university," said Bloch. "Women and minorities in particular
should feel welcome and valued."
	"Since I've come here I've been engaged with the question of
ethnicity and diversity," says Fischer, who taught one of the first
African American courses conducted at UB.
	UB's faculty is in transition from a predominantly white male
culture to one that is more diverse. As a result, "there needs to be a
broader understanding of the needs and special contributions that
people from different backgrounds bring to the institution," Bloch
said. The vice provost for faculty development is intended to provide
precisely that.
	Bloch believes that UB is unusual, and perhaps unique, in its
appointment of a vice provost for faculty development. While other
universities have tried to fill the need with someone such as an
ombudsman, "I haven't heard of exactly this before," Bloch said. "Help
with career and the human issues of faculty development is not often
addressed."
	In developing the new position, Bloch said it was important
that UB's unique needs be expressly considered, and the appointment of
an internal candidate was important. Sixteen UB faculty members
applied or were nominated.
	"Rather than the conventional search committee, we used the
constituents with whom we knew the new vice provost would have to be
dealing," Bloch said. Final candidates met with the Faculty Senate
Executive Committee, deans, chairs, an administrative group from the
Provost's Office and with the Provost's Junior Faculty Advisory
Committee.
	"A very impressive group" composed of about 20 non-tenured
faculty from across the disciplines, Bloch said, the Junior Faculty
Advisory Committee meets with the provost several times each semester
to provide feedback and a fresh look on what is happening at UB from
the perspective of its youngest faculty. Calling the group outspoken
"in constructive ways," Bloch said he intends to rely on it heavily in
shaping the activities of the vice provost for faculty development.
	Closely monitoring the needs of faculty will continue to be
critically important in the future, Bloch says. If UB is to move
forward, it must ensure that its people feel fulfilled.
	"The institution is entering perilous times but it faces some
very special opportunities," he said. Among those perils and
opportunities is the turnover that will result from the "graying of
the faculty," a phenomenon facing colleges and universities across the
nation. In UB's case, however, the trend is exacerbated by the rapid
growth the university experienced in the 1960s and 1970s, when UB
became part of SUNY and the North Campus was built.
	Because so many faculty were hired together, they also will
retire together. "I've asked the deans to be planning for that," Bloch
said. And likewise, the vice provost for faculty development will be
asked to bring "direction, imagination and vision" to the changing
face of UB.
	That changing face will include greater diversity of faculty,
an area in which UB has made considerable progress in recent years.
"I'm not sure how much of that reflects the changing national pool (of
candidates) and how much is due to our own efforts. I'd like to think
it's both," Bloch said.