Office of the President

The President is responsible for the direction of the University of St. Thomas, a mission-driven institution striving to be a great place for students, staff and faculty to think, act and work to advance the common good.

As the 16th President of the University, Rob Vischer will hone the university’s vision for its future, advocate for that vision both internally and externally, build resources to turn that vision into reality, and achieve a level of excellence and impact that distinguishes the nation's top Catholic universities.

Office of the President on OneStThomas (intranet)

Rob Vischer, President

Rob Vischer was named the 16th President of the University of St. Thomas on January 1, 2023, after acting as interim president for the previous seven months, beginning in June 2022. (Read about the Presidential Search held in 2022.)

In nearly 10 years as dean of the St. Thomas School of Law, Vischer has helped leverage the law school's mission to achieve critical objectives in student success and community impact. Over the course of his deanship, the law school has dramatically improved employment outcomes for its graduates, built a global student body by establishing partnerships with law schools in more than a dozen countries, redoubled its commitment to whole-person professional formation, maintained its top-25 ranking for scholarly impact, and made racial justice core to its mission. The Harvard Law School graduate was an inaugural recipient of the Minnesota Lawyer Diversity and Inclusion Award for his contributions to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the practice of law.

Before entering the legal academy, Vischer was associated with Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, where he practiced corporate litigation. He clerked for three federal judges: Judge David Ebel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Joan Gottschall of the Northern District of Illinois, and Judge John Wiese of the Court of Federal Claims. He received his B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from the University of New Orleans, and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Rob Vischer Curriculum Vitae

Introducing President Rob Vischer

2025 Strategic Plan

The 2025 Strategic Plan was developed to focus our efforts over the next 5 years, building on the success of the 2020 Strategic Plan, recognizing the headwinds and opportunities facing the university, and shaped by input from the entire St. Thomas community.

Our 10-year Aspiration

The University of St. Thomas will advance to the level of excellence, impact and reputation that distinguishes the top 10 national Catholic universities.

Guiding Themes

As our community came together through the strategic planning process to develop goals for the next five years, the following themes emerged. These will guide our work, helping us remain true to what makes St. Thomas unique while empowering us to focus on key ongoing and emerging priorities that will help us thrive.

See how the Themes and Priorities of the 2025 Strategic Plan interweave

Additional information

Messages from the President

Vischer on Inauguration Day: Grounded and Student-Focused

On stage during the formal ceremony to officially inaugurate him as St. Thomas’ 16th president, Rob Vischer’s phone kept buzzing in his pocket. Was it official university business? A pressing matter to which to attend? No – on the other line were some of Vischer’s childhood friends who were tuned into the livestream of the… The post Vischer on Inauguration Day: Grounded and Student-Focused appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

President Vischer Calls on St. Thomas Community to Be Courageous

As the new president of Minnesota’s largest private university, Robert Vischer understands the seriousness of his role. But that didn’t stop him from injecting some moments of levity at his investiture ceremony as the 16th president of the University of St. Thomas. Near the start of his address, he turned to his friends and family… The post President Vischer Calls on St. Thomas Community to Be Courageous appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
Twin Cities Leaders Welcome Rob Vischer as 16th President of the University of St. Thomas

In Robert K. Vischer’s address during his May 12 inauguration as the 16th president of the University of St. Thomas, he thanked several people for attending. And several made remarks in person or by video congratulating him. Some of the ones the former dean of the School of Law acknowledged included Sen. Amy Klobuchar, St.… The post Twin Cities Leaders Welcome Rob Vischer as 16th President of the University of St. Thomas appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
Inaugural Address of Robert K. Vischer

Archbishop Hebda, Senator Klobuchar, Mayor Carter, Chair Ryan, Chair-Elect Kozlak, President Emeritus Dease, President Sullivan, trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, students, friends and family: Thank you so much for being here today. I appreciate the help and encouragement this community has shared with me over the past months. It continues to energize me and inspires hope… The post Inaugural Address of Robert K. Vischer appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
Reflection: The Lessons of Ramadan

Our mission compels us to build a St. Thomas culture in which members of all faith communities can thrive. This requires a much more robust vision than interreligious “tolerance” can provide. If we aspire to build relationships across religious differences and support one another on our respective faith journeys, we must understand – not simply… The post Reflection: The Lessons of Ramadan appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.