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.
Leading
with
Integrity,
Dedication
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.
Five
Presidents
and
An
Ongoing
Legacy
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.
