CMSV Announces Fishlinger Center for Public Policy Research

To further its commitment to the intellectual, ethical, and personal development of its students, faculty, and the public at large, the College of Mount Saint Vincent has announced the creation of the Fishlinger Center for Public Policy Research. The development of the center, which is slated to open in late summer, opens new vistas for illuminating public opinion on social issues and engaging in research to encourage meaningful dialog and constructive action.

Earlier this year, the College received an extraordinary commitment of an anticipated one million dollars from William and Joan Fishlinger to provide startup funding for the center. Mr. Fishlinger, who is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Gramercy Risk Holdings LLC, serves on the College’s Board of Trustees, and was honored by the College at its 2012 Scholarship Tribute Dinner. Mrs. Fishlinger has devoted her time and talents as a men- tor in the College’s Mount Mentor program. The Fishlinger family is deeply rooted in philanthropy and community activism, and the couple has continuously shared with their children and their colleagues their desire to broaden students’ opportunities.

“We live in a world that needs critical thinkers—people who can intelligently weigh difficult questions,” said Mr. Fishlinger. “Global issues impact all of us. There is a great need to establish a center for thoughtful, scholarly approaches to addressing the important challenges faced by people around the world, and to stimulate meaningful dialog and action. This is the right time, and the College of Mount Saint Vincent is the right place to do it.”

By focusing public opinion on key public policy concerns through independent and objective research, the Fishlinger Center will serve as a vehicle for meaningful dialog and advocacy on carefully selected topics.

“By enabling students, faculty, and staff to become trained, involved, and engaged in public policy, opinion, and research, the Fishlinger Center will provide a forum for discourse that can open new opportunities,” said Charles L. Flynn, Jr., president of the College of Mount Saint Vincent and a member of the Fishlinger Center Advisory Board. “We hope the Center will position the College as a premier source for cur- rent public opinion research and analysis. What we know is that it will enhance the reciprocal relationship between the College community—the students, faculty, administration, and alumni— and the needs of the broader community.”

The new Center’s Director is Dr. James Donius, who joined the College last summer to begin working with academic departments to outline the program and to assemble an Advisory Board of individuals from academia, public service, and industry boasting a wide range of expertise. The Advisory Board, which held its first meeting on the CMSV campus on February 3, will focus on three priorities at the outset: 1) to help determine and prioritize potential topics for center-sponsored studies; 2) to review and make recommendations on survey instruments before they are finalized and deployed in the field; and 3) to identify and recruit participants for a future forum at which the community may engage with the results of the surveys and studies.

Dr. Donius has extensive experience in marketing, advertising, and public opinion research. Prior to founding his own firm, Marketplace Measurement Worldwide, he held executive positions with MasterCard Worldwide, Yankelovich Partners Inc., N. W. Ayer & Son, and the Advertising Research Foundation. He received a Ph.D. in international business from the International School of Management, an M.B.A. in marketing from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an A.B. in sociology from the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the College of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.[IA]