Office of the President

Presidential Search

Learn more about the strategic approach St. Thomas is taking as we search for a new president. We welcome insight and feedback from all members of our community.

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Rob Vischer, Interim President

Rob Vischer began his role as interim president on June 1, 2022.

In 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

Hundreds of University of St. Thomas students on the streets of campus for an event.

All for the Common Good

At the University of St. Thomas, we believe in hard work, human dignity and the transformative power of purple. We stand up for faith, hope and the power of individuals, working together, to achieve uncommon feats. We build bridges, create solutions and power ideas that move the world forward.

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

Moving St. Thomas Forward Together

Interim President Rob Vischer shared the following in email to University of St. Thomas faculty and staff on Wednesday, June 1, 2022: I’m honored to serve as the university’s interim president starting today. As I finish my 17th year as a member of this community, I am deeply grateful for you, and I am awed… The post Moving St. Thomas Forward Together appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.

From the President: Gratitude to You as I Depart

President Julie Sullivan shared the following in email to University of St. Thomas faculty and staff on Tuesday, May 31, 2022: As I leave the University of St Thomas, I am filled with immense gratitude for my time with you. I love this university, and I love each and every one of you. It is… The post From the President: Gratitude to You as I Depart appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
President Julie Sullivan’s Legacy Fuels St. Thomas’ Momentum

From the start, Dr. Julie Sullivan, was bound to make history at the University of St. Thomas. Appointed the first lay person and woman president of Minnesota’s largest private university, Sullivan’s nine-year tenure is defined by historic milestones. On June 1, Sullivan steps down as St. Thomas president and again makes history when she becomes… The post President Julie Sullivan’s Legacy Fuels St. Thomas’ Momentum appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
USG Names Student Achievement Center in Honor of President Julie Sullivan

There are many ways to know when a university president has had a profound impact on its students, one of them is when students take initiative to express their gratitude. When it comes to Dr. Julie Sullivan’s impact on students during her tenure as president of the University of St. Thomas, the Undergraduate Student Government… The post USG Names Student Achievement Center in Honor of President Julie Sullivan appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.
DFC Commons Is Renamed After President Julie H. Sullivan

There was a room full of laughter, love and cheer in The Great Room on the Minneapolis campus at the University of St. Thomas as scholars, staff, faculty, alumni and supporters of the Dougherty Family College (DFC) came together to honor and appreciate President Julie Sullivan for her years of service and say final goodbyes… The post DFC Commons Is Renamed After President Julie H. Sullivan appeared first on Newsroom | University of St. Thomas.