ºÚÉçÇø

headshot of president Rob Vischer

Office of the President

Meet Rob Vischer

Rob Vischer, former dean of the ºÚÉçÇø of Law, began his tenure as the 16th President of the ºÚÉçÇø on January 1, 2023. He is the second layperson to assume the role, after rising through the ranks in the university's law school beginning as an associate professor of law in 2005. Read more about President Vischer's background.

The President is responsible for the direction of the ºÚÉçÇø, 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. 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.

The Inauguration of Rob Vischer

About President Rob Vischer

Rob Vischer became the 16th President of the ºÚÉçÇø on January 1, 2023.

In nearly 10 years as dean of the St. Thomas ºÚÉçÇø of Law, Vischer has helped leverage the law school's mission to achieve critical objectives in student success and ºÚÉçÇø 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 ºÚÉçÇø 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 ºÚÉçÇø, 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 ºÚÉçÇø.

Our 10-year Aspiration

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

Guiding Themes

As our ºÚÉçÇø 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

President's Office Staff

The Office of the President enjoys hearing from students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater ºÚÉçÇø.