During remarks at a campus President's Day gathering, Lee Fisher struck a note of confidence in the University's next chapter.
Lee Fisher's official start date as president of Baldwin Wallace University is July 1, but he and his wife, Peggy Zone Fisher, were given a warm welcome by faculty and staff during a noon gathering on Monday, February 17.
The current Cleveland State University College of Law Dean, former Ohio Lt. Governor and future BW president told the audience gathered on a snowy President's Day to join him in practicing "optimistic realism" about the future.
Saying students are "our North Star," Fisher called for innovation and investment in BW's strengths, a point he reitrerated in an interview with WKYC-TV.
"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change," Fisher said. "Our attitude will determine our altitude."
In a nod to his status as BW's 10th president, Fisher and Zone Fisher received number 10 Yellow Jacket jerseys from the athletics department.
Other speakers gifted the couple two books on BW's 180-year history, a Grindstone Yearbook from 1913 when Baldwin Institute merged with German Wallace College and a set of ribbons in the class colors of current students reflecting BW's "Ring of Ribbons" tradition.
Earlier, the Fishers attended a gathering of admitted students and their families, inviting them to join him in the fall "to create a bright future for BW."
"Wherever I've worked, I've started by knowing what I don't know. So, first, I want to listen to you and learn from you."
Fisher's appointment at BW was announced a week ago. He has said he plans to be a frequent visitor to the BW campus as he asks questions, listens and learns in the run-up to taking over as president.
