Passionately Curious

September 21, 2026

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."
— Albert Einstein

Good morning BW,

Last week, I had the opportunity to witness two examples of what a Baldwin Wallace education is all about.

Ironically, the first was the inauguration of Carolyn Noll Sorg '06 as president of John Carroll University (yes, our crosstown rival!). Carolyn's journey began at BW as an English major, where she met her husband, Brendan '06, and discovered a passion for higher education while serving as a student tour guide in our Admission Office.

During her inauguration address, Carolyn reflected on the purpose of education in a way that stayed with me:

"Education can’t simply be about giving students more information, but rather teaching them how to pay attention: how to notice before they react, how to listen before they decide, how to ask better questions..."

A few days later, I had the privilege of introducing Bill Summers '72 as he received the 2026 Richard W. Pogue Civic Leadership Award from Business Volunteers Unlimited.

Bill has served BW as a Board Trustee for more than four decades while becoming one of Cleveland's most respected civic and business leaders. Throughout his career, he has not simply volunteered — he has led, serving as a board chair, campaign chair, and community builder across countless local and national businesses and nonprofit organizations.

As part of his acceptance remarks, Bill offered some advice to young professionals beginning their own journeys in nonprofit leadership:

"Be curious. Ask questions. Learn."

That connection struck me.

Here were two Baldwin Wallace University graduates, separated by 34 years, speaking to different audiences, yet both emphasizing something remarkably similar about learning and leadership: passionate curiosity.

Carolyn '06 and Bill '72 remind us that it's our responsibility to help our students examine issues critically, thoughtfully, and from multiple perspectives. This is especially important when society is grappling with rapidly evolving technologies like AI that present both promise and peril at the same time.

Our responsibility is not to tell our students what to think. Our responsibility is to help our students learn how to think, how to evaluate competing ideas, and how to engage constructively with those whose views differ from their own.

Whether conducting research with a faculty mentor, performing on stage, competing on an athletic team, studying abroad, serving in the community or collaborating with classmates to solve a difficult problem, that is why our BW mission is about more than helping students earn a degree.

It is about preparing them to be passionately curious leaders.

It’s about preparing them to be future-ready: to embrace uncertainty in a fast-changing world and see it not as a threat, but as an opportunity to discover, learn, and grow.

So, as we begin another week at Baldwin Wallace, let's embrace that challenge.

Stay curious. Ask questions. Keep learning.

Have a great week.

Lee Fisher
President, Baldwin Wallace University