Belmont President Bob Fisher and his wife Judy Fisher have gifted the university about $3.5 million to establish an endowment to honor their late son, Rob.
BU officials announced Thursday the establishment of two Rob Fisher Endowed Funds for Environmental Science. One fund will support scholarships for students within the universityâs environmental science program, while the second will establish an environmental science faculty chair and bolster research and experiential learning opportunities. Â
Rob Fisher was a nature and conservancy advocate who died in 2016 at age 41.
The scholarship fund currently is valued at approximately $1.5 million while the endowment to support a faculty chair is at $2 million. Belmont Assistant Professor Matthew Heard, who serves as the BU Environmental Science Program coordinator, has been selected as the inaugural chair in environmental science. The program is housed within the BU College of Sciences and Mathematics.