Dr. Edward J. Feser Named 34th President of Saint Louis University
St. Louis (Dec. 16, 2024) — Saint Louis University has announced the appointment of Edward J. Feser, Ph.D., as its 34th president. Feser, a Roman Catholic, Jesuit-educated leader in higher education, will assume the SLU presidency on July 1, 2025.
President-Elect Edward J. Feser, Ph.D.
“Saint Louis University is a remarkable institution with an impressive history of impact, and it will be both exciting and a privilege to lead it,” Feser said. “I am thrilled at the prospect of joining the SLU community and contributing to the University’s outstanding legacy.”
Feser currently serves as the provost and executive vice president of Oregon State University (OSU), a land-grant institution with more than 38,000 students, a $1.8 billion budget and $480 million annually in externally funded research.
“Dr. Feser’s leadership journey has been defined by a steadfast belief in the power of education to transform the lives of individuals and contribute to flourishing communities,” said Eric Engler, chair of SLU’s Board of Trustees.
“With a deep commitment to Jesuit values and an impressive record of accomplishment, Dr. Feser is uniquely positioned to lead our mission-focused, student-centered, research-driven university to enhanced stature and even greater impact in its next chapter,” Engler said.
Advancing Excellence in All Things
Feser’s nearly eight years as Oregon State’s provost have been defined by bold initiatives that have reshaped OSU’s trajectory, including:
- Strategic Vision: Leading the development and implementation of strategic plans focused on student success, groundbreaking research and institutional innovation.
- Research Leadership: Championing a $213 million Collaborative Innovation Complex — now under construction — to foster interdisciplinary research on grand challenges, powered by artificial intelligence and accelerated computing.
- Inclusive Excellence: Achieving record-setting diversity in student enrollment while working to diversify the faculty and embed equity and inclusion across OSU’s operations.
- Budgetary Innovation: Implementing a new shared responsibility budget model to advance transparency and financial stability.
Guided by Service and Committed to Community
Throughout his distinguished career in higher education, Feser’s leadership has been deeply rooted in the Jesuit ideals of promoting justice, nurturing the whole person and contributing to the greater good.
“I am deeply grateful to Dr. Feser for his willingness to serve in such an important role. His experience as a scholar and administrator makes him uniquely qualified to lead a place as complex as SLU,” said Thomas P. Greene, S.J., the provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province. “But even more, I was heartened to hear of his desire to use education to engender hope in the young, his commitment to the University being leaven for the city, and his dedication to the University’s Jesuit, Catholic identity.”
“The rigorous and holistic Jesuit education I received at the University of San Francisco — grounded in experiential learning in the city itself and the principle that one should lead an active life of service to others, especially the least among us — shaped my values in ways too many to count,” Feser said.
A noted scholar of city and regional economic growth and development, Feser strongly believes that all universities must be partners in serving and improving the well-being of the communities they call home. At OSU, his community-focused efforts included:
- Downtown Hub: Opening the OSU Portland Center in downtown Portland, which anchors the university’s strategy in the city, including programs to support expanded pathways to OSU for students from diverse backgrounds.
- Community Partnerships: Growing the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend, Oregon, and collaborating with local leaders to launch the development of a campus-based innovation district to support regional economic development goals.
- Economic Development Leadership: Serving on boards and commissions to address economic development, workforce strategies and public policy challenges.
Building on Past Progress and Charting a Path Forward
Feser’s appointment follows an extensive national search led by a committee of SLU trustees, faculty, staff, students and members of the Society of Jesus. The University’s Board of Trustees voted to approve his appointment during its December 6 meeting.
“Dr. Feser is a visionary leader whose formidable experience and expertise align with Saint Louis University’s current strengths and exciting trajectory,” said Joseph Conran, SLU trustee and chair of the search committee. “As a lifelong Billiken devoted to this great university, I have full confidence in his ability to lead SLU into its next era of growth and success.”
Feser will succeed Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., who announced in March that he would step down from the SLU presidency at the end of June 2025 after more than a decade of transformative leadership highlighted by record student enrollment, fundraising and research growth, among many other accomplishments.
“President Pestello’s vision and outstanding leadership are evident in the success of SLU students, its excellent faculty and staff, its impressive growth in research scale and impact, the depth and quality of its partnerships and impact in St. Louis, and the achievements of Billiken student-athletes and teams,” Feser said. “I’m excited to work with the SLU community to build on Dr. Pestello’s accomplishments and advance Saint Louis University as one of the finest urban research universities in the country.”
“Because of the contributions of countless SLU community members, the University is poised to reach new heights of distinction,” Pestello said. “Dr. Feser has the knowledge, experience, skill and values to serve as the next steward of Saint Louis University’s noble mission — working for and with the campus and the region to create new possibilities for a thriving, hope-filled future.”
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Saint Louis University’s President-Elect At a Glance
Personal Details:
- Edward J. Feser, Ph.D.
- 57 years old
- Married to Kathy Feser, a school district environmental sustainability coordinator
- Two adult children, Jack and Mary
Education:
- Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997
- M.R.P., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1994
- B.A., University of San Francisco, 1989
Academic Leadership History:
- Provost and Executive Vice President, Oregon State University, 2017-Present
- Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2015-2017
- Dean, College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012-2015
- Division Head, Innovation, Management and Policy, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, 2011-2012
- Department Head, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007-2011
Faculty Appointments:
- Professor, School of Public Policy, Oregon State University, 2017-Present
- Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007-2017
- Professor, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008-2017
- Professor and Eddie Davies Chair of Entrepreneurship, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, 2011-2012
- Associate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004-2007
- Associate Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2003
- Assistant Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997-2002
About Saint Louis University
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.
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- Building Connection and Collaboration: SLU President, Local Leaders Headline Leadership Speaker SeriesSaint Louis University’s Emerson Leadership Institute and Edward Jones Speaker Series will feature SLU President Edward Feser, Ph.D., as part of a joint speaker series on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Feser will speak on the theme, “Great Cities, Great Universities: Leading With Hope to Strengthen Our Shared Community,” sharing his vision for how SLU can lead boldly, collaborate meaningfully, and serve as an anchor of opportunity in St. Louis.
- SLU Hosting Journalists for 'Candid Conversations in Turbulent Times'The Saint Louis University American Studies Department will host award-winning ABC News anchor Linsey Davis and SLU alum John Krull (American Studies, '84) for the program "Candid Conversations in Turbulent Times." The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in the Anheuser Busch Auditorium in Cook Hall.
- Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Ph.D.: 1955-2025Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Ph.D., associate professor of educational studies, died Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. She was 70 years old. Pierce joined Saint Louis University in 2015 as an assistant professor in the School of Education. Initially a literacy specialist in the undergraduate program, she eventually taught and mentored across all levels at the School of Education. She became an associate professor in 2022.
