National Business Education Association Names Fisher Teacher of the Year

Dr. Diane Fisher, associate dean of the College of Education and Psychology and an associate professor of business technology at The University of Southern Mississippi, was honored as the 2012 Collegiate Teacher of the Year by the National Business Education Association at its annual convention in Boston April 3-7. The award was presented in recognition of outstanding contributions in teaching business.

Fisher is currently serving as President of the National Association for Business Teacher Educators (NABTE), a division of the National Business Education Association. She was also awarded the 2011 Collegiate Teacher of the Year by The Southern Business Education Association at its annual convention in Orlando, Fla. last October. 

“The most rewarding recognition comes from my students. When you know you have made a difference in someone else's life, it is worth all of your efforts,” Fisher said. “Our schools need exemplary teachers; therefore, our universities must provide model teacher preparation programs. I'm proud to be a part of an exceptional program at Southern Miss.”

Among her other honors, Fisher received the Aubrey K. Lucas and Ella Ginn Lucas Endowment for Faculty ExcellenceAward in 2008 from Southern Miss and the University Business Educator of the Year Award from the Mississippi Business Education Association in 2006. 

Fisher is the author of several publications and has given numerous presentations at state, regional, and national conferences. She is also a recent past president of the Mississippi Business Education Association and served as editor of the Delta Pi Epsilon Journal in 2010-2011.

“She (Fisher) has worked tirelessly to bridge courses and degree programs to today's education profession and recognizes the need for business educators to be lifelong learners, and strives to instill a value for lifelong learning in her students,” said Joy Davis, a teacher at Oak Grove High School in Lamar County and one of Fisher's former students.

For information about the business technology education program at Southern Miss, online visit http://www.usm.edu/elementary-special-technology-education.