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.
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.
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.
The University of St. Thomas will advance to the level of excellence, impact and reputation that distinguishes the top 10 national Catholic universities.
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
Dr. Yohuru Williams and President Rob Vischer co-teach a course on race, law, and U.S. history. They co-wrote the following reflection. The release of the video showing the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols has caused tremendous pain within our St. Thomas community, especially following so closely on the heels of events in the Twin Cities… The post Reflection: Solidarity appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
This weekend, we pause to remember the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King offers powerful lessons for today, but those lessons grow more elusive as Americans – particularly white Americans – have gradually constructed a milder and gentler vision of him. Since his assassination, he has become almost universally admired in… The post MLK Reflection From President Rob Vischer appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
Minnesota’s largest private university will officially start the new year with a new president. The University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees has unanimously selected Robert K. Vischer as the 16th president of the 137-year-old Catholic university. Vischer, a longtime law school educator who became St. Thomas’ interim president earlier this year, will be the… The post Rob Vischer Named 16th President of University of St. Thomas appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
The term “culture of encounter” is one we've been hearing lately, though it’s not new. Pope Francis has been using it for at least a decade. He says that society should push back against what he calls a “culture of indifference” and help build a “culture of encounter.” He explains that this is a “culture… The post Culture of Encounter: Five Observations With Interim President Rob Vischer appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
Interim President Rob Vischer sent the following note to faculty and staff on Sunday, Oct. 2. Jorge Mario Bergoglio has shaped my own vision of leadership perhaps more than any other person. He has described the Church as “a field hospital for the wounded,” exhorting Christians to go to the margins of society to minister… The post Reflection: A Month of Gratitude appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
The Office of the President enjoys hearing from students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community.
lorena.armstrong-duarte@stthomas.edu
Contact Lorena with any questions regarding the president's communications, communication strategy, or remarks