Most UTC students stay busy in fall semester, but Student Government Association President Robert Fisher became known as a master of time management to conquer his schedule. Fisher, a Brock Scholar, works with his team leaders in SGA to affect positive change. He also began his tenure on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), serving as the student representative of the University of Tennessee System; he visited Washington D.C. as a Presidential Fellow with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC); and he was appointed to a leadership position on the UT Advocacy Council Oversight Committee by UT President Joe DiPietro.
Robert Fisher
In addition to attending the CSPC fall conference in Washington, Fisher is writing a paper that discusses the impact of the “education philosophies” of Presidents Bush and Obama on 21st century K-12 education reform.
“I use press releases, speeches, and opinion editorials released by each president, their respective Secretary of Education, and the White House to determine ‘education philosophy,’” Fisher explains. “Then I synthesize academic literature and reports released by the U.S Department of Education in a literature review to determine the policy impacts of both No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. My paper topic received positive feedback from my peers at the Fall Conference in October, and I am pleased with my progress thus far.”
Fisher calls his overall experience with CSPC “exceptional,” including the relationships he’s developed with student peers and his mentor in the program.
Beginning this month, Fisher will serve a two-year term on the UT Advocacy Council (UTAC) Oversight Committee.
Visiting the White House
UTAC, established in 2011, serves as a vehicle for alumni, faculty, and student groups to engage policymakers in a productive, coordinated manner, according to DiPietro. He adds that the Oversight Committee functions as an executive liaison group for the Council that works with University leadership and promotes involvement with the legislative process.
“I am honored to serve at the request of President DiPietro. After my summer at the Center for American Progress, I know firsthand the tremendous impact of grass roots organizing and advocacy. I look forward to serving the nearly 50,000 students in the UT system in this capacity for the next two years,” Fisher said.
Read about Fisher’s experience with the Center for American Progress here.
I was very impressed to hear about Pres. Fisher’s accomplishments, and I congratulate him. It is wonderful to hear about our student body president earning such high recognition from the UT system.
I am so proud of this young man. He has enriched my life by just being a part of it. I wish him the best that life can offer because I know that he not only works hard but that he has a passion for whatever task is put before him. Frederick Douglass once said “If ther is no struggle, there is no progress”. I feel that Mr. Robert Fisher is a prime example of those spoken words.