Stacey Fisher, assistant director for Wilson Commons student activities at the University of Rochester, was recently awarded the Joseph H. Benedict Award by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), an international organization for university union and student activities professionals.
In addition to service to ACUI, the Benedict Award honors outstanding leadership, volunteer service, and activism in members with five to 10 years of career experience in student activities.
“Stacey is a champion of creating an inclusive environment for our students,” said Anne-Marie Algier, associate dean of students and director of student activities. “Student clubs such as College Feminists, Grassroots, and P.R.I.D.E. have flourished under her advisement.”
“Stacey urges her students and our organizations to strive to be more than ‘okay’—she is the embodiment of trust and student empowerment,” wrote Alice Chen ’15, a double major in biology and anthropology, and co-chair for Grassroots, an environmental awareness student organization, in a letter supporting Fisher’s nomination. “Stacey has pushed me to be a better person, and has helped me to grow from a shy and nervous freshman to a strong, confident senior.”
In addition to her responsibilities advising 30 student organizations at the University, Fisher also serves on the University’s Sexual Misconduct hearing board, and chairs the Fall Leadership Conference planning committee, a training seminar for student leaders. Since 2008, she’s volunteered at C.A.S.H., a community coalition that offers financial services and tax preparation to low-income workers in Monroe County.
“Stacey brings out the best in people,” Algier said. “She has a nurturing spirit that helps them accomplish things they would not have thought possible.”
Fisher joined the University in 2007 after serving two years as a program coordinator with AmeriCorps VISTA. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Ohio University, and is completing a master’s degree in human development at the Warner School of Education.
