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Having served under five BW presidents during his nearly 50 years of employment at Baldwin Wallace University, Richard "Dick" Fletcher '70, MBA '76 is being welcomed back to his alma mater as the keynote speaker for the Baldwin Wallace University Fall Commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m. The celebratory event, which will be held at Ursprung Gymnasium in the Lou Higgins Center, will recognize nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate students.
From
his
early
days
as
a
member
of
the
varsity
basketball
team
and
Phi
Kappa
Tau
fraternity
to
his
ascending
roles
of
leadership,
Fletcher
brought
teamwork,
authenticity,
humor
and
dependability
to
BW
as
a
welcoming
face
to
students,
families,
trustees
and
alumni
over
the
years.
An
advocate
of
the
liberal
arts,
he
was
a
BW
history
major
-
which
served
the
university
well
as
he
was
often
revered
for
being
a
historical
voice
of
the
BW
legacy.
Fletcher began his career at BW as an admission counselor shortly after graduation. He was promoted to assistant director of admission a year later. He left BW for a year before returning in 1975 as associate director of development.
Three years later, he was named director of development, then associate vice president for institutional advancement in 1981. In that role, he coordinated an institutional advancement program that included alumni administration, public relations and publications. Under his leadership, BW would undertake an ambitious capital campaign that came in above goal.
He would repeat that success years later for another capital campaign as vice president for institutional advancement, a position he held from 1983-2007. He was then named senior vice president, the second-highest role on campus. In June 2020, Fletcher retired from BW, just one year shy of 50 years of service.
During
his
tenure,
Fletcher
served
under
five
BW
presidents
-
Dr.
Alfred
Bryan
Bonds,
Jr.,
Dr.
Neal
Malicky,
Dr.
Mark
Collier,
Richard
Durst
and
Dr.
Robert
Helmer.
Through
his
leadership
roles
in
advancement,
Fletcher
and
his
team
helped
raise
over
$200
million
during
capital
campaigns
for
BW.
Fletcher, whose name was synonymous with BW for businesses and organizations across Northeast Ohio as well as professional associations in higher education, was a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, National Committee on Planned Giving and Independent College Advancement Associates, from which he received the Ernie Sheetz Mentor Award. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Eliza Jennings Senior Care Network, including the position of board chair. He continues serving on the board for the nonprofit organization.
In addition to his Bachelor of Arts degree, Fletcher earned an MBA from BW in 1976 and did doctoral work in educational administration at Kent State University. He and his wife, Cleda, reside in Strongsville, Ohio.
