05/17/2025

Saint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., never planned on a career in higher education.

During his commencement address Saturday morning in front of a packed crowd of more than 1,800 students and their friends and families at Chaifetz Arena, Pestello said that when he was graduating from college 51 years ago, he wanted to be a radio host. 

Along the way, things changed, and he ended up having a lengthy career in education. As he prepares to step down as SLU’s 33rd president at the end of June, he told the Class of 2025 about how his plans changed early and often. 

“Today, just as you reach this milestone in your lives, I am approaching one of my own,” Pestello said. “I am concluding my tenure as president of Saint Louis University. I am certain that you and I hear the same question from nearly everyone we meet these days: ‘What are you going to do now?’”
 
Pestello said for some, that answer is easy. Others might struggle with figuring out what to do next. Either way, Pestello encouraged the students to stay motivated.  

“It is only essential that you are willing to work hard to find your answers — to engage, to explore, to consult, to listen, to head toward where you are called,” he said. 

As a student at John Carroll University, Pestello started as a chemistry major but switched to sociology. Outside the classroom, he fell in love with radio. 

When it was time to graduate, he said he knew exactly what he was going to do, or more accurately, what he wasn’t going to do. 

“I knew I was done with college,” he said. “I knew I would never commit to a 9-to-5 job. And I knew that I would never pursue a career that would require me to wear a suit and tie. I wanted to be a talk-radio host. That’s kind of like a podcast host, except the podcasts only played at scheduled times.”

For two years, Pestello pursued his dreams. Eventually, he decided to switch course and went back to school, earning a master's in sociology and eventually his doctorate. 

It was during his doctoral studies that Pestello said he finally thought he had it all figured out. His goal was to be a professor and spend the rest of his life researching and teaching. 

As he was teaching alongside his wife, SLU First Lady Fran Pestello, Ph.D., a new opportunity arose. President Pestello was asked to make a move into administration. Initially, he resisted, but ultimately made the jump. 

“As Fran loves to say, it took me 10 minutes to realize that I was made for administration,” he said. 

Pestello said his journey offered him valuable lessons along the way. 

“Each step I took at your age — even when I had no idea where I was going – gave me tools I would depend upon years later,” he said. “All learning is valuable and creates opportunities down the road. Like bricks that pave your path as you walk it, every bit of knowledge and skill will be something upon which you will build as your lives unfold.”

Pestello said he wasn’t expecting to deviate from his path so many times, but was grateful for the detours. He encouraged the graduates to embrace the journey. 

“Treat the unknown like your next adventure,” he said. “Explore with purpose. Listen to the people around you. Take an unexpected turn.”

Pestello closed his remarks by encouraging the graduates to embody SLU’s mascot. 

“Here is what matters, Billikens — wherever your path takes you: Continue to lead with love and mercy,” he said. “And never vary from the quest to make ‘things the way they ought to be.’ I wish each of you as magnificent a journey as I have had.”

Pestello wasn’t the only speaker to share their thoughts about their journey at SLU. Emma Lercher, a student graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences, spoke about cura personalis and her journey to understanding the deeper meaning of the phrase.

Lercher admitted that when she first stepped on SLU’s campus, that Latin phrase was a mystery to her. She said that, over time, she learned that cura personalis is a Jesuit ideal of caring for the whole person – mind, body, and spirit.

"I wish each of you as magnificent a journey as I have had.”

President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.

“During our time at SLU, whether we knew it or not, we were learning how to care for ourselves,” Lercher said. “Through late nights studying at Pius, the friendships we made on West Pine, and the endless opportunities for community engagement, we have all been given the tools to discover our gifts, our true gifts – those that are unique to us and are our ways of contributing to the greater good.”

Lercher, a Belleville, Illinois, native who majored in political science and is in the Law Scholars program, said every graduate has been “created in the image of God with gifts to contribute to His purpose.”

“Our gifts are not meant to be hidden – they’re meant to be shared,” she said. “To lift others up. To heal what’s broken. To bring light where things feel dark. That’s what makes a SLU education different. We weren’t just taught to succeed, we were taught how to serve. To use what we’ve been given for something bigger than ourselves. That’s not just a nice idea, it’s a responsibility. And it’s also a privilege. So as we walk off this campus today, let’s not just chase jobs or accolades. Let’s chase purpose.” 

The SLU ceremony kicked off with the traditional carrying of the University mace. This year, the mace bearer was Martha Allen. Allen, a professor, special assistant to the dean of libraries and museums, and director of academic integrity, received her bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1977 and her Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the University of Missouri in 1991. She first joined SLU in 1995 as a part-time reference librarian in Pius XII Memorial Library, and has served the University in a wide variety of roles since that time, including a subject librarian, assistant dean of user services, and interim director of Pius Library. 

In addition to the graduates being recognized, Saint Louis University also conferred honorary degrees upon three individuals. This year’s honorees were former trustee Patrick (CSB ‘77) and Peggy Sly, and Tom Smolich, S.J.

Pestello’s final commencement closed in what has become a tradition during his tenure. After the degrees were conferred and the students had officially become graduates, Pestello took to the stage one last time to address the crowd.

Pestello noted that the grads were now part of the Billiken family forever, and confetti streamed down from the Chaifetz Arena rafters.

An archive of the commencement ceremony can be found at Saint Louis University’s YouTube page.

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.