Baldwin Wallace University has selected former Ohio Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Lee Fisher as the university's 10th president.
Fisher, who is currently the dean of the Cleveland State University College of Law is set to lead Baldwin Wallace later this year, the university announced Monday in a media release.
"Being dean of Cleveland State's law school has been the honor of a lifetime, but now I have another new chapter and another honor of a lifetime," Fisher said. "That is to be president of a wonderful college that turned into a university, that has turned into a place where actually you change lives for the better for the long term."
Before entering academia, Fisher worked in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, serving as Ohio Lieutenant Governor from 2007 to 2011 and Ohio Attorney General from 1991 to 1995 as a Democrat, according to the release.
As Attorney General, Fisher helped develop Ohio's first economic development strategic plan and led the implementation of comprehensive strategic plans for the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, Center for Families and Children, CEOs for Cities and Cleveland State University College of Law, the university said.
Fisher has served as dean of Cleveland State's College of Law for nearly nine years. During that time, he helped the college recover from a significant budget deficit and record-low enrollment, he said.
"I immediately knew that I had to focus in on our challenges before I could seize our opportunities, so that's exactly what I did," Fisher said.
Under Fisher's leadership, enrollment at Cleveland State's College of Law increased 96%. In fall 2024, the college enrolled its largest first year class in 15 years.
Fisher will step into the role on July 1, as Baldwin Wallace contends with what remains of a $7 million budget deficit, and less than a year after the most recent round of job and program cuts.
Once president, Fisher will implement a team approach to addressing the university's financial management and overall restructuring, he said.
"I'm not coming in with answers. I'm coming in with questions, and I've done that at every position I've held," he said. "I better understand what's worked and what hasn't worked, where there are opportunities and where we need to pull back. Then together as a team, we can make decisions."
The move from Cleveland State's College of Law is bittersweet, but Fisher said he is looking forward to making a difference for students at Baldwin Wallace.
"I'm running to another group of students who I think need our help even more," he said. "I see this as a natural progression to focus in on a larger scale to a larger group of students — focus in on helping them make sure their education is relevant to the rest of their life."
