For nearly five decades, Dr. Fisher made a lasting impact in the lives of students and colleagues, not to mention through his service to multiple academic departments and colleges.
Professor Fisher graduated from MSU in 1972 and went on to obtain his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Brown University, eventually returning to MSU as an economics professor for 49 years. Since then, he also worked as a consultant for the state of Michigan and the deputy treasurer in 1983. Additionally, Dr. Fisher served as Dean of the MSU Honors college from 1996-2007.
He authored nine books and numerous journal articles throughout his career, including the respected textbook State and Local Public Finance.
In 2014, he received the Steven D. Gold Award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, honoring his significant contributions to the field.
In addition to his academic writing, Dr. Fisher wrote former faculty bios in order to celebrate the people and the history of the MSU Department of Economics that are a part of the website’s History page.
As a result of his lifelong study and writing about fiscal policy, in 2023 he was appointed to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Growing Michigan Together Council.
In 2024, the inaugural Ronald C. Fisher Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence was presented to two undergraduates chosen based on their research at the end of their capstone EC499 course. The award honors Professor Fisher’s commitment to empowering undergraduate research and celebrating high-caliber, undergraduate research, and this annual award will continue his legacy.