Faculty, staff honors culminate with 3 new inductees into hall of fame

Barry Diskin built a reputation as a demanding professor who inspired thanks from his students.

Bill Hillison demonstrated a marathon work ethic that included a "weird" all-day office schedule.

And the late Bob Marshall exuded a magnetism that made him a "wise counselor" to everyone.

They became the newest inductees into the Charles A. Rovetta Faculty Hall of Fame during the recent 2022 College of Business Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner and Ceremony at the Turnbull Conference Center.

Diskin retired in 2015 as the Francis J. Nardozza Scholar and one of the nation's leading scholars in real estate valuation. Hillison retired in 2009 as the Arthur Andersen Professor of Accounting and as a visionary in auditing and accounting information technology.

And Marshall retired in 2006 after almost 20 years as a department chair who advanced FSU's risk management and insurance program – now ranked No. 1 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. He died in 2016.

Marshall also hired Diskin as a faculty member in 1980.

"He didn't just hire me," Diskin told attendees. "He took care of me."

Said Marshall's wife, Carolyn, who accepted the induction award with the couple's daughters, Buffie Marshall and Tammie Miller: "I know Bob would have been very, very proud of this."

The inductions of Diskin, Hillison and Marshall capped an evening that also honored outstanding faculty and staff members who have been "fueling our drive for preeminence," said Michael Hartline, dean of the college.

"Our college strives to be recognized as one of the very best business schools in the nation, if not the world," Hartline said. "And nothing is more important to that goal than our people, and that's why this event is so special."

Guests for the full-house ceremony, sponsored by the college Board of Governors, included Dr. William T. Hold, a 2012 College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame member and the namesake of the top-ranked Dr. William T. Hold/The National Alliance Program in Risk Management and Insurance, and Chuck Hardwick, a 2005 College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame member and the namesake of three of four in-house teaching awards.

Hardwick spoke before the winners were announced, emphasizing the inspiration for his gifts to create a pool of $600,000 dedicated to rewarding teaching excellence. His gifts enhanced and endowed a program launched by Hartline, and they established the Charles Hardwick Teaching Awards.

"The interactions you have as teachers changes students' lives," Hardwick told attendees.

Guests also included retired college faculty and staff members; family members and friends of Diskin, Hillison and Marshall; and two previous Faculty Hall of Fame inductees – Edward McIntyre (2018) and Joe Icerman (2020).

Like McIntyre, Icerman and nine other previous inductees, Diskin, Hillison and Marshall brought the college increased visibility and left a lasting mark on their departments and students. See their bios here.

"We have not forgotten their contributions," Hartline told attendees. "Their influence continues to extend beyond the college and university communities. Respect and appreciation for them by former students and their colleagues across the entire university has never diminished."

'True to his word'

Students remember Diskin, known to sign his emails with his initials BAD, for his doggedness when it came to excellence in the classroom.

"Between 1980 and 2015, no one was able to graduate from the Florida State Real Estate Program without suffering through Dr. BAD's Appraisal I and Appraisal II classes," David Beshears, executive managing director of Kushman & Wakefield, said during his introduction of Diskin. "And I do mean suffering."

Beshears, who earned B.S. degrees in real estate and marketing from FSU, told of a time that Diskin refused to change a grade that would have allowed Beshears to stay enrolled at the university.

"But he told me if I was serious about being a real estate major, he would help me if I was able to get back into school," Beshears said. "I eventually got back into Florida State, and the first place I went was Barry's office, and he was true to his word … He actually got me my first job."

"Yeah, I was a pain in the butt," Diskin told attendees. "I pushed them really hard."

Diskin recalled an email from a former student who cited the professor's reputation as a tough son of a gun, in less-polite terms. "But now that I'm out of here, I understand what you're trying to do, and I really appreciate it," Diskin said, quoting the graduate.

"And I got a lot of emails like that, so that made it worthwhile for me," he added.

Diskin served as director of the FSU Real Estate Center from 1984 to 1997.

Of the induction, he said, "I am so proud to receive this, and it means the world to me."

Decades of rewards and fun

Hillison established a national reputation for research productivity and teaching excellence in the Department of Accounting. He continues to co-author two Uniform CPA Examination preparation books for Gleim Publications that have assisted several generations of students in earning their CPA licenses nationwide. In return for what Hillison did for them and their careers, several former students created a fully endowed professorship in his name.

Students could always find him in his office – from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, said Bud Fennema, the Arthur Andersen Professor in the accounting department.

"It was weird back then, and it would be absolutely bizarre right now," Fennema said about his former colleague's office schedule, drawing laughter, during his introduction of Hillison.

Fennema touted Hillison as an "amazing" distance runner who continues to run 35 miles a week. A fellow runner, he told of a prank that he and a mutual friend played on Hillison for his birthday during a Sunday morning run. Even Hillison's wife, Sharon, got in on it.

The prank exploited a regular monotony-breaking practice among runners – seeking lost odds, ends and treasures, including coins, in their path. Discovery of a penny, nickel, dime and quarter constitutes a "grand slam," for example.

"We decided to seed his route with nickels, dimes, quarters, a 50-cent piece and a Susan B. Anthony dollar," Fennema explained. Hillison eventually discovered them all and declared, "It's like the super grand slam!" Then the pranksters fessed up.

Hillison reflected on several former colleagues and decades of rewards and laughter in the college. He won numerous awards and authored more than 70 pieces for top academic and practitioner publications. He also has co-directed the Bowlegs Run for Scholarship, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the FSU Faculty and Friends Scholarship Fund.

"I've had a wonderful tenure in the college, so thank you so much," he said to attendees.

'Care and concern for others'

Marshall carried "a magnetism that was a combination of intelligence, personality, care and concern for others and a can-do attitude," said Richard Corbett, retired Independent Life & Accident Insurance Company Professor.

"These qualities made him a wise counselor to students, to his colleagues and to our external partners," Corbett said during his introduction of Marshall.

Marshall's passion for risk management and insurance inspired students to embark on rewarding careers in the industry. They recalled his kindness, optimism, mentorship and advocacy.

Marshall founded the college's Insurance Days, a career fair for RMI majors. He practiced proactiveness in the recruitment of women faculty members and ensured the availability of internships to a diverse pool of students.

Corbett remembered Marshall as "a good guy with a passion to help others, a good friend and a professor who put the focus on the students."

He cited Marshall's love for golf and sailing and his legacy as a husband, father, professor, expert witness and colleague.

"Ultimately you know the impact that a person had on the world by the way that they are remembered," Corbett said.

-- Pete Reinwald

Recap of the faculty and staff awards

View the event photos here.