The BW Way: Leader Ready, Career Ready, Future Ready

In a column that first appeared in Crain's Cleveland Business, President Lee Fisher shares a vision for BW that aims to ensure all graduates are prepared to lead in a dynamic and unpredictable 21st-century global economy.

As I begin my presidency at Baldwin Wallace University, which turned 180 this fall, I find myself asking a fundamental question that should guide every forward-thinking college or university: How do we redefine success in higher education to prepare 21st-century graduates?

We must prepare them for jobs that do not yet exist to solve problems that haven’t yet emerged. Today's rapidly evolving world demands graduates who take ownership of their future.

At BW, we help them get better at who they are, to get better at what they do, to chart a better way for their future — and ours. We have taken concrete steps to ensure our students are Leader Ready, Career Ready and Future Ready.

We call it "The BW Way."

The BW Way: Get Better at Who You Are

Our first promise is that graduates will be Leader Ready. We call that "Get Better at Who You Are."

Character starts with finding your voice and becoming who you are. Leadership starts with the wisdom to get better at who you are.

Leadership and character are forged in the classroom and by close relationships with faculty, staff and fellow students. We don’t just open minds, we open doors through meaningful connections to employers, alumni, mentors and hands-on experiences that bridge theory and practice.

Emotional durability, or grit, is a leadership skill essential to thrive in a rapidly changing world. At BW, grit has deep roots. Our founder, John Baldwin, saw ordinary Berea sandstone and envisioned something extraordinary: grindstones for mills and versatile sandstone blocks that now support structures across the world, from Washington, D.C. to the Canadian Parliament Buildings, and the historic halls on our campus.

What makes those buildings strong makes BW students strong as they develop resilience through coursework, co-curricular experiences and the challenges they embrace along the way. Wellness courses, real-world projects and supportive campus communities equip them to persevere, recover and thrive under pressure.

The BW Way: Get Better at What You Do

Our second promise is that our graduates will be Career Ready. We call that "Get Better at What You Do."

BW students develop career readiness through new shared degree requirements, "The BW Advantage," which are competency-driven courses that strengthen critical analysis, quantitative reasoning, problem-solving and many more essential skills. This foundation ensures graduates can deliver results, manage resources and make decisions that honor both ethical principles and organizational objectives.

Experiential learning opportunities and micro-credentials develop entrepreneurial thinking, communication, cultural competence, digital marketing mastery and ethical reasoning, equipping students to create value in any professional context, collaborate successfully with diverse audiences and navigate a globally connected economy.

These initiatives build on BW’s outstanding record: 97% of graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.

The BW Way: Chart a Better Way for Your Future

Our third promise is that our graduates will be Future Ready. We call that "Chart a Better Way for Your Future."

We empower students to explore and apply emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. BW students learn how technology reshapes work, society and communication, while requiring human judgment. Additionally, systems thinking — which recognizes interconnectedness, a long-standing hallmark of our MBA programs — is now integrated across undergraduate curricula. Paired with experiential opportunities like research, internships and real-world projects, BW graduates gain a decisive edge in navigating evolving and complex systems.

Future-ready graduates must develop adaptive thinking and approach unfamiliar problems with curiosity rather than anxiety; they don’t wait for perfect instructions to take action. BW ensures that our students not only adapt to the future but also actively shape it.

The future will be volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. BW graduates will be ready — not just to navigate it, but to lead in it. Our promise is that they will be Leader Ready, Career Ready and Future Ready.

This column first appeared in Crain's Cleveland Business.

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