Robert K. Vischer became the 16th President of the University of St. Thomas on January 1, 2023, following a unanimous selection by the Board of Trustees. Prior to this role, he served as interim president beginning June 1, 2022, and dean of St. Thomas' School of Law from 2013 to 2022. Vischer joined the university in 2005 as an associate professor of law.
As president, Vischer has advanced the university's key priorities while reinforcing St. Thomas' commitment to its mission of whole-person formation and fostering what Pope Francis called a "culture of encounter." A central tenet of his leadership is helping the university community aspire to ensure every member of the St. Thomas community, without exception, has the unmistakable experience of feeling seen, known, and loved.
To build community and help faculty, staff, and students "lift their gaze," Vischer launched the Claritas Initiative, aiming to cultivate the transcendental values of truth, beauty, and goodness within the university community. This initiative encompasses a series of discussions, performances, and experiences designed to explore and nurture these values across campus.
On 10/24/26, World Polio Day, Rotary members across Region 36 – Zones 25 & 29 are coming together for something BIG — a bold, unified step toward a polio-free world. We are calling on 36,620 Rotarians and 964 Rotaractors across 11 states and 2 countries to take part in the World’s Largest Polio Walk — a powerful, visible demonstration of our commitment to ending polio forever. This is more than a walk. It’s a movement.
It is time for Edina Morningside Rotary Club Online Gertens Fundraiser! This group will receive 30% of all plant sales and 15% of all plant card sales. Proceeds will go toward Rotary International-End Polio Now.
Join us at our Rotary Club of Edina booth for a spooktacular alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating with a HalloBoo Trick-or-Treat Trail. Volunteers will hand out candy bars and treats at this indoor alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating and answer any questions participants’ parents or guardians have about Rotary. (All participants will receive chocolate candy bars. Those 5 and older will receive a Rotary flashlight.) Volunteers should wear their Rotary T-shirt or a fun, not-too-scary Halloween costume. This is a low-stress, fun community service activity benefitting Edina’s youth.
Sign up today to help Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP) serve the hungry in our community! Volunteers welcome participants to the VEAP pantry, explain the process and respond to participant questions, keep the shopping area clean and tidy, sort through food donations, stock shelves, load groceries into vehicles and overall help VEAP promote a positive shopping experience for participants. VEAP staff explain the process before every volunteer shift in the pantry. 
The Rotary Club of Edina’s Membership Committee and Board of Directors welcome Ellen Kennedy as a member of the Rotary Club of Edina. Ellen is the Founder and Executive Director of World Without Genocide. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters-Edina, and co-chairs a social justice committee, and is on a social justice committee at Mount Zion Temple, a Reform Jewish congregation in St. Paul. Ellen was a member of Edina Noon Rotary Club from 2002-2011, and served as president, 2009-2010.
As your 72nd President of the Rotary Club of Edina, I am honored and excited to begin this journey with each of you. Rotary brings together leaders, professionals, and community servants with a shared desire to make a difference. It is where friendships are formed, ideas are exchanged, and service becomes a catalyst for meaningful change. This year, Rotary International calls us to Create Lasting Impact, a message that reflects who we are as a club and what we strive to accomplish together.
