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
Vischer's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of New Orleans, and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Before entering academia, he practiced corporate litigation at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago and clerked for three federal judges.
Vischer serves on the board of the Association for Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU). He serves on the executive committee of GREATER MSP and as a board member of the Minnesota Business Partnership and the Greater Twin Cities United Way. He is also a member of the Coalition for Transformational Education (CTE) and the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
He will discuss how as artificial intelligence rapidly changes how we work, learn and communicate, higher education faces a fundamental question: What will students need from universities when technology can increasingly provide information and perform tasks once reserved for humans? University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer will explore why the answer lies not in competing with AI, but in doubling down on what is distinctly human. Drawing on the Catholic tradition’s call to build a “culture of encounter,” he will discuss the growing importance of relationships, character, purpose and the ability to engage meaningfully across differences. In an age of accelerating technology and increasing isolation, Vischer will make the case that the future of higher education depends not only on preparing students for successful careers, but on preparing them to build meaningful lives and contribute to the flourishing of their communities.