Last Updated:7:16 PM EST 4/22/09 Section: Fisher through the years

President Bain has introduced a new vision for the next decade that will propose several new programs, expand on student services and allow students to participate in an environment that is widely concerned with staying up to date and cutting edge.

The overarching concern-taking priority over any new changes that may occur within the next decade-is continued commitment to campus safety and security.

Assuming all measures have been taken to ensure a stable environment for safety and security, several new programs are in the pipeline.

These ideas include a developing partnership for nursing and possibly the education doctorate with the Waterford Institute in Ireland, a 4 plus 1 program for accounting majors that will satisfy new requirements necessary to sit for the CPA exam, a nurse anesthetist degree, and a fully operational law school.

"Our first focus is always to maintain the programs that we currently offer," Bain said. "The idea behind these programs is to allow our students, if they wish, to have a broader range of professional opportunities.

"We have a strong emphasis on liberal arts and sciences, but we also feel a strong responsibility to help students to pursue professional preparation at the undergraduate and graduate level," Bain said.

The possibility of a law school requires the ability to measure how many people would be interested in the idea. To facilitate this research, a feasibility study was done to determine demand for a legal education in the Rochester area.

The results of the study were very positive, and indicated that the idea was feasible.

We are the only city in upstate New York that does not have a law school. The next step," said Bain, "is to confirm the initial results."

In order to confirm results, Bain explained, the College must confirm that it understands the requirements needed to carry out the plan. These requirements are not only academic, but financial, physical and technological.

For instance, to facilitate a fully functioning law school, the College must be certain of accreditation guidelines, required texts and collections needed in the library, annual budgets, and physical space.

"It would be about 400 students. That comes to about 133 a class," Bain said.

Although the idea has surfaced, it is not certain that the idea will take place.

"We have made a commitment to examining the viability of a law school. We have not made a commitment to starting a law school," Bain said.

Continued...

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