Listen and Learn
April 27, 2026
"...being actively open-minded... requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong — not for reasons why we must be right — and revising our views based on what we learn."
— Adam Grant, Think Again
Good Morning BW,
This morning, I want to focus on a major upcoming event and highlight two events this past week. I also want to share some thoughts on my decision to hold a December 2026 Commencement even though many colleges and universities, including a growing number in Ohio, no longer hold a December commencement.
Annual Ovation Festival
This Thursday, April 30 is the BW Ovation Festival in our Austin E. Knowlton Center. This is our signature annual celebration of student achievement, showcasing student success in research, scholarship, experiential learning, the arts and more. We highlight student achievements from every school of our university. Students demonstrate their achievements by performing original musical compositions or short plays; reading original essays, stories or poems; giving video or slide presentations; exhibiting artwork; or presenting research posters.
Annual Student Life & Leadership Awards
This past week, I spoke at the Annual Student Life & Leadership Awards which recognizes students and student organizations for their outstanding achievements. The event honored emerging and seasoned leaders, clubs and organizations, and fraternity and sorority chapters. Each awardee demonstrates what it means to be Leader-Ready, Career-Ready, and Future-Ready.
The pinnacle award of the event was the Outstanding Senior Award, which recognizes the top ten graduating students for their achievement across academic, co-curricular involvement and leadership, and off-campus and community pursuits. The average GPA of this year’s group is an astounding 3.98, not to mention their leadership, service, and innovation! Congratulations to the 2026 Outstanding Seniors:
John Bacho
Steffi Burdick
Ted Demarco
Samuel Dickhaut
Megan Hughes
Leah Kania
Jessica Klonowski
Lillian Knox
Emily Lesko
Elanna Su
We also recognized some of the faculty and staff who commit their extra support as student organization advisors. Congratulations to Dr. Karen Munroe, Professor of Biology, who was honored as Student Organization Advisor of the Year for her work with Circle K International.
Women for BW Legacy Awards
Last week, we held the Women for BW Legacy Awards at LockKeepers restaurant hosted by BW Trustee Malisse Sinito '88. Julie Beshara '27 received the 2026 Legacy Award and three of the 2025 BW Giving Circle award recipients spoke. My wife, Peggy Zone Fisher, who I often refer to as my “Presidential Partner”, moderated a panel discussion featuring Emily Lesko ’26, Lacey Kogelnik, Chief of Staff/VP for Career Readiness, and Dr. Rachelle Hippler, Professor of Software Engineering.
Check out this highlight reel featuring photos from the event as well as a spotlight video on 2025 Giving Circle student recipient Jackie Kaminski '26.
Watch: Women for BW Recognition Event Video
December 2026 Commencement
Finally, I want to share some thoughts on my decision to hold our 2026 December Commencement.
Our original decision not to hold the December ceremony was grounded in our obligation to responsibly steward University resources. A full traditional December commencement carries a substantial cost, despite a significantly smaller graduating class than in May. Many colleges and universities, including a growing number in Ohio, no longer hold a December commencement for that reason.
Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with five December graduates: Christine Bradley, Marissa Brigger, Aleka Kasson, Sage Mullins, and Haley Snevel. While they sincerely appreciated my decision to hold a December reception at the President’s Residence, they made it clear that walking across the stage and being handed a diploma in the presence of family is deeply meaningful and symbolically reflects years of hard work and sacrifice.
After that meeting, I asked our team to explore designing a new kind of commencement ceremony — one that would preserve the meaningful traditions of commencement while also aligning with our responsibility to be fiscally responsible. I’m very pleased that we found a path forward that will allow us to hold an in-person traditional ceremony in a more appropriately sized venue at a significantly lower cost.
The commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 2 p.m., and we are changing the venue from Ursprung Gymnasium to the Mainstage of the Kleist Center for Art & Drama. Kleist is a smaller, more intimate venue that will accommodate all December graduates and at least two guests per graduate. In addition to changing the venue, we will take actions that further reduce our costs, including livestreaming the ceremony with the help of our talented broadcast students.
Christine, Marissa, Aleka, Sage, and Haley demonstrated both courage and leadership. They could have protested outside my office and made demands – which would have been their right- instead, they came prepared and passionately shared their perspectives. And they did so with civility, respect, and a genuine commitment to the institution we all care about.
That conversation mattered.
I share this not simply as an announcement, but as a reminder of something larger.
BW is a place where ideas are tested through dialogue, where disagreement is met with curiosity rather than dismissal, and where persuasion comes not from volume or vitriol, but from reason, empathy, and respect. What these five students demonstrated was courage and the power of civil discourse at its best.
Leadership requires making decisions — but it also requires knowing when to revisit them. Changing one’s mind in the face of new information or perspectives is not a weakness. It’s a responsibility.
I am grateful to Christine, Marissa, Aleka, Sage, and Haley for engaging constructively and for reminding us of the kind of community we aspire to be: one that treats each other with civility and respect, and one that listens and learns.
With appreciation,
Lee Fisher
President, Baldwin Wallace University