Sharon Jones Schweitzer

210-999-8406

sjones@trinity.edu

Trinity Names New Chief Academic Officer; Creates Vice President for Information Resources

May 5, 2000  - Trinity University has appointed Dr. Michael Fischer as vice president for academic affairs and Dr. Charles White as vice president for information resources and administrative affairs.  The appointments are the result of a national search and represent a significant reorganization of Trinity's administrative structure. Fischer, who was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 1997, will direct Trinity's academic programs, as well as manage student recruitment and financial aid.  He assumes the responsibilities of chief academic officer on July 1, 2000. A UNM faculty member in the department of English since 1975, Fischer has served as director of graduate studies in English, chair of the department of English, and Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Fischer is the recipient of numerous grants and honors, and he serves as a co-principal investigator on a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation that supports a statewide collaboration for excellence in teaching preparation.  An authority on modern literary criticism and critical theory, Fischer has published articles in academic journals and is the author or editor of five books in his field. "Dr. Fischer will provide extraordinary good leadership in faculty, curricular, and other areas directly involving the advancement of our academic programs," said Dr. John Brazil, president of Trinity University, in announcing the appointments. Fischer graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in English.  He later completed his master's degree and doctorate at Northwestern University. White, interim vice president for academic affairs at Trinity, will assume the new position of vice president for information resources and administrative affairs on June 1, 2000.  White will have administrative responsibility for the technological advancement of the University and for the development of information systems, including the library, the office of the Registrar, campus computing, and institutional research. White joined the Trinity faculty in 1980 as an associate professor in the department of psychology.  He was promoted to professor in 1986.  In 1987, he was appointed associate vice president of academic affairs, a position he held until 1999 when he became interim vice president for academic affairs. His teaching and research have been in the area of developmental psychology and gerontology.  White has received numerous grants in support of his research from both foundations and the federal government. He was co-principal investigator for the Mellon Foundation Information Technology Development grant of $1.2 million to the Associated Colleges of the South, of which Trinity is a member, and was principal investigator for the Culpepper Foundation grant for the development of a virtual language laboratory for language instruction in Spanish, Chinese, German, and French. As an administrator, White has provided leadership in advancing the University's technology agenda, shepherding the conversion to a new university-wide information system and the implementation of classroom technology. "Dr. White has already demonstrated considerable expertise in this area and brings to the new position a commitment, enthusiasm, and a vision about technology that will, over time, move Trinity into the forefront of its use," said Dr. Brazil. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, White received his bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology from San Diego State University and his doctorate from the University of Georgia. The administrative reorganization allows the University to provide more focused leadership on its academic programs and student recruitment agenda.  "It reduces the number of direct reports, allowing the vice president of academic affairs to focus exclusively on matters academic," said Dr. Brazil.  By creating a technology vice presidency, he adds, "we provide direct and ongoing supervision to what will be one of the most important and consequential support systems in Trinity's future." Trinity University, founded in 1869, is a highly selective, professionally-oriented liberal arts and sciences institution.  This residential, primarily undergraduate coeducational university is noted for its superb facilities and undergraduate research opportunities.  Through its academic and co-curricular programs, Trinity seeks to develop leaders with high moral and ethical standards.  It is a learning community that has charted its course with a steadfast commitment to excellence for more than 130 years.

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Last updated on November 8, 2000 by the Office of Public Relations