CONNOR HOFFMAN
Staff Writer
Russell Boisjoly, the dean of the School of Business, has always loved teaching business. Reminiscing about his life story glued a smile to his face the whole time. Boisjoly has always been a leader and has lived an eventful life along the way to becoming the dean of Fredonia’s School of Business.
Boisjoly received a bachelor’s of science degree in Industrial Management from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, an M.B.A in Finance from Boston University and a D.B.A in Finance from Indiana University. He also used to be the dean of the School of Business at Fairfield University and Adelphi University.
“I’m a leader now, and I was a leader then,” said Boisjoly. “I was an officer in two student organizations. We have graduate student assistants around here who are graduate students; I was an undergraduate version of that. I was a student assistant.”
Boisjoly said some of the duties of a student assistant at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell were to correct papers for the faculty, watch the students during an exam to make sure they weren’t cheating and prepare handouts for the faculty.
Even though he was such an active leader among his peers, Boisjoly said he looked different in college. After pulling out an old yearbook and flipping to his picture, he laughed and said that most of his friends wouldn’t recognize him in his younger days. He looked so different with very dark brown hair and had a very long and thick dark brown moustache.
Boisjoly had an eventful youth with some tough times in his 20s, pursuing his doctorate, and his glory days in his 30s.
He began to laugh when he remembered having to study 24 hours a day and seven days a week. He began his doctoral program when he was 22, finished first when he was 25 and then a second time when he was 27. But in his 30s, Boisjoly was able to enjoy being single after getting divorced.
“I did all kinds of things that I never thought I would do. I experienced a lot of good things,” he explained.
He loved to road race bicycles but was never a formal competitior.
“Every night I used to ride my bicycle around the Charles River basin, which was 20 miles, and I would do it in an hour,” Boisjoly said. “Anyone who ever tried to pass me, I’d pass them back, and they would never catch me.”
There are many things that Boisjoly enjoys to do when he’s not spending his time as a dean. He likes to play golf and go to flea markets and auctions. The main things that he looks for at auctions are the bargains and the things that aren’t sold anymore, which, in his opinion, are the hidden treasures. He also likes to make things such as picture frames, repair things like lamps and other furniture around the house, and practice a little woodworking, too.
One of his main hidden talents is being an auctioneer. Boisjoly is a licensed auctioneer and, when he is not too busy, donates his time for charity auctions.
“It’s whatever they have; it could be: furniture, jewelry, a diner where a chef comes to your house and cooks a dinner for eight,” said Boisjoly explaining some of the things he auctions off. Boisjoly really has a knack for auctions.
“One auction that I took over was making around $1,000, the first time I did it they made $4,000, and made $6,500 the third time I did it,” Boisjoly said.
After a day at the office overseeing the school of business, he goes home to his wife and two rescue dogs. Boisjoly has lead a very interesting life and its interesting to see how he got to where he is today.