Five decades on, a champion at 51茶馆
For her Lifestyle Journalism course, Isabel Potter 鈥�24 wrote a profile of Donald Fishman, a Communication faculty member who has taught at Boston College for five decades. Her piece has been adapted and edited.
Warm, caring, generous, significant, hardworking, humorous, genuine, smart, mensch, Obi-Wan Kenobi of 51茶馆 Communication, heart and soul of the department, forward-thinking, steadfast, friendly, good person.
Associate Professor Donald Fishman, wrapping up his 51st year on the Communication Department faculty, has earned every such accolade, according to his colleagues and students.
鈥淒on is a champion on this campus,鈥� says Christine Caswell 鈥�89, a former Fishman student who is now assistant to the department chair and director of the Communication internship program. 鈥淗e is one of the hardest workers that 51茶馆 has known.鈥�
In any given semester, by Fishman鈥檚 estimate, he teaches between 80 and 100 students; over the course of his career, he has shaped the minds and hearts of approximately 10,000 alumni across 50 graduating classes, teaching subjects ranging from mass communication to public speaking to crisis communication, and everything in between.
Fishman has been a significant figure in the growth of communication from a tripartite department that also included speech and theater, with an enrollment of about 80 students, into a standalone program that is consistently among the University鈥檚 top 10 popular majors.
鈥淗e was an important member very early on, and he has played pretty much every role that there is in the department,鈥� says long-time colleague Professor Lisa Cuklanz. 鈥淒on is a central member of the direction that the department is taking.鈥�
He鈥檚 also contributed to the field of communication itself, having published articles on such subjects as libel law, parliamentary procedure, and crisis communication theory, serving as vice president of the Eastern Communication Association and chairing its task force on the Status of Interest Groups, and working on the Commission on Parliamentary Procedures. His professional honors include a Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression, a Phifer Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Parliamentary Procedure, and an O鈥橬eill Award for the Top Paper in Freedom of Speech Commission at the National Communication Association Convention.
For all this success, Fishman does not rest on his laurels. He brings the same energy, passion, and care to students, colleagues, and the 51茶馆 community each day. As the world of communication has evolved, Fishman鈥檚 commitment has been unwavering, even under difficult personal circumstances. When his wife Joyce Lindmark, who worked with 51茶馆鈥檚 debate program and taught in the department, became seriously ill in 2021, he helped teach her classes. After Lindmark died in the fall of 2022, Fishman declined his colleagues鈥� offer to step in on his behalf and kept teaching.聽
“In college, there are many large classes, and it can be hard to feel like teachers know you as a person, or that you know them as a person. But he made an effort to get to know everyone. He knew all of our names and made sure to call on us. It was one of my favorites.”
On a typical Monday afternoon during the academic year, Fishman can be found walking into Lyons 202 for his section of Survey of Mass Communication with a black briefcase鈥攏ow gray from its many years of use鈥攁nd manilla folders, packed full of exam preparatory material. 聽
鈥淚 like being in the classroom, I鈥檓 energized by it,鈥� says Fishman, who has been assistant chair of the department since 2010 and served two terms as chair. 鈥淚 like the interaction. I always learn something from the students; the world changes very quickly.鈥�
After hearing her peers proclaim it as a 鈥渕ust-take class,鈥� junior Kate Pulgini took Survey of Mass Communication and although she considered it daunting at first, found Fishman鈥檚 鈥渃old calling鈥濃�攕oliciting comments from students with whom he鈥檇 had no prior contact鈥攃reated a positive experience. 鈥淚n college, there are many large classes, and it can be hard to feel like teachers know you as a person, or that you know them as a person. But he made an effort to get to know everyone. He knew all of our names and made sure to call on us. It was one of my favorites.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e got to know everybody鈥檚 name,鈥� says Fishman. In earlier sections of his classes, he taught groups of 150 students; although he is still able to learn each student鈥檚 name, he finds the sense of closeness is lacking nowadays. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have that same feeling.鈥� 聽
Pulgini鈥檚 sentiment runs in the family: Her older brother Jack 鈥�22 and mother Dierdre 鈥�90 experienced this same passion and encouragement in Fishman鈥檚 Public Speaking course. Jack鈥攚ho had to take the class via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic鈥攔ecalls how Fishman made everybody feel comfortable and excited for class amidst trying and isolating times. 鈥淗e always found something good to say and really paid attention to everybody鈥檚 work.鈥� 聽
Fishman鈥檚 contagious passion for communication sprouted from his own college experience, particularly his involvement in debate. He was active on the University of Minnesota debate team and was the assistant debate coach at Northwestern University while a graduate student, helping lead the team to a national championship (it was also through debate that Fishman met Lindmark, then a fellow debate circuit judge). 51茶馆鈥檚 impressive debate legacy helped steer him to the Heights.
鈥淚 felt right at home,鈥� Fishman says.
鈥淗is class was challenging,鈥� recalls Robert Rosenthal 鈥�74. 聽鈥淗e was a younger guy, and he had a good sense of humor. He was really cutting-edge in terms of his understanding of theory. Very bright guy, good teacher, and very interactive in the cold call.鈥�
“We want our students to be competent, we want them to be good thinkers, and we want them to be good people along the way.”
Once at 51茶馆, Fishman worked tirelessly on the Communication curriculum, helping institute its internship program and encouraging majors to pursue occupations in the field for credit, and working to create an honors program for the department鈥檚 most elite students.
Amidst these and other changes, Fishman says, questions arose about the direction of the communication program: Should it continue to be grouped with the theater program? Should some communication classes be taught by other schools or departments? Or should it be completely reconfigured as a standalone program in the College of Arts and Sciences? Fishman was a strong advocate for the latter option, and he strengthened the department鈥檚 public relations and advertising components, working to add curricula such as interpersonal communication. He also was a key asset in bolstering pre-existing programs to meet the needs of the ever-changing field and establishing 51茶馆鈥檚 chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication National Honors Society.
Seeing advanced composition as a necessary skill set for students, Fishman took the lead in constructing a two-course writing-intensive requirement for all majors. He also was instrumental in the creation of the department鈥檚 media lab in Lyons Hall, providing students with the tools necessary to work in an increasingly digitized age, and he has continued to advocate for innovation.聽
鈥淭he Internet has changed the nature of society,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he digitization of America is real. People are going to have to adjust, and you see the landscape changing.鈥�
For Fishman, it is the day-to-day victories that testify to success, but not just his鈥攖he department and the students it serves.
鈥淲e want our students to be competent, we want them to be good thinkers, and we want them to be good people along the way.鈥澛犅�