Building What's Next: Next Begins Now

January 12, 2026

"The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals." — Melody Beattie

Good morning BW,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope that each of you was able to take time to rest, recharge, and enjoy moments with the people and places that matter most to you. Peggy and I enjoyed the holidays with family and friends and returned a few days ago from a national conference of small and mid-sized private university presidents.

We begin the year with a clear-eyed understanding of where we stand. Meeting with other university presidents reaffirmed that the challenges before us are real: shifting demographics, rising costs, and a rapidly changing higher education landscape. Yet within those challenges lie extraordinary opportunities — opportunities to reimagine how we serve our students, steward our resources, and strengthen our campus culture.

We have promised our students a high-quality education and a meaningful experience that will change their lives, and, in turn, change the lives of others. Fulfilling that promise requires all of us — faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community partners — to rise to meet the moment.

Over the coming weeks, we will share our priorities, goals, and strategies for transforming BW, and we will seek your input. I had the privilege of leading a number of listening sessions with faculty and staff during the fall semester and we will continue those thoughtful conversations. An effective plan is a living document that must change and adapt, so we will keep listening, refining, and improving and evolve with new insights and the voices of our BW community.

As we look ahead, three overarching strategic imperatives, which I call our North Stars, will guide our transformation:

• Ensuring Student Success through academic optimization, transformation, and innovation. More than ever, we are committed to recruiting, educating, and graduating leader-ready, career-ready, and future-ready students and meeting the workforce needs of our region and the State of Ohio.
• Achieving Financial Profitability and Sustainability through strategic cost reduction, disciplined cost control, and creative revenue generation. Our mission drives us, but our financial margin sustains us. Margin is the fuel for our mission and enables us to fulfill our promises to our students.
• Establishing Trust and Transforming Campus Culture through transparency, inclusion, and shared purpose. Our strategy will set the course, but our campus culture will determine our success.

When we balance student success, financial sustainability, and a thriving culture, we don't just survive — we thrive and transform lives.

It is a privilege to serve BW at this pivotal time alongside such dedicated colleagues, and strong academic leadership will be vitally important to our efforts. I'm very pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine (Cathy) Dollard, Ph.D., as BW Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Dollard to the BW community. Today is her first day. Dr. Dollard served as Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Denison University from 2019-2025. She also has served as Denison's Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Chair, Department of History.

In partnership with Senior Associate Provost Lisa Henderson, Dr. Dollard will provide continuity, stability, and strategic leadership to ensure BW continues its legacy of academic excellence in the months ahead. Together, they will listen carefully, bring clarity and focus to our academic priorities, and help position BW for long-term success, building on the distinctive qualities that make BW such a strong and special institution.

I also want to express my sincere appreciation to Linda Chase for her exceptional service this past year as Interim Provost. Linda stepped into this role at a particularly challenging moment for the University. Her financial expertise, tireless work ethic, deep institutional knowledge, and unwavering commitment to BW's future were instrumental in advancing our progress during a critical period. We are deeply grateful for her leadership and service.

The challenges ahead are real. But so is our collective capacity to rise, lead, and build what's next.

Together, we will Build What's Next. Next Begins Now.

Lee Fisher
President, Baldwin Wallace University